The Journey Home
by Dr.Lust
Summary: COMPLETE Dracula is vanquished. Gabriel and Anna can be together now, but what will they choose to do? What does fate hold for them? And who is Gabriel, after all? Romance, Suspence, Drama, Action. VHxA.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note**: _Alright, greetings to every fan of Van Helsing! I'm new to this site and this is the first story I ever publish! But I'm not new to writing, it's just that I never thought of posting a story here. I'm aware of my writing skill; still all reviews as well as tips are welcome. Please note that English is not my mother tongue, so forgive any possible grammatical mistakes, though I'll try to minimize them to zero._

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll get to learn something about who he really is, and explore his relationship with her a bit more deeply_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _Yes, bla bla bla I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie, I only own my own characters and plot bla bla bla etc…_

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 1

Dracula was vanquished. Anna's family was saved and those nine generations would at last be able to enter the gates of St. Peter. Everything now was at it should be, and Transylvania would know peace again after so many centuries.

Van Helsing, Carl and Anna had returned to the Valerious mansion. Nobody was very eager to speak, as if they were unsure of what to say; even more, what to do. Finally Carl decided to break the silence.

"I think I should inform the Vatican of the situation, since that, uh, Dracula is dead now", he started in a rather hesitant way, "and I will inform you of what they will say…", he continued and his eyes went from Gabriel to Anna and back.

"Alright Carl, I will be waiting here", said the hunter and gave a small smile to his friend. Carl smiled back and then exited the room. Anna and Gabriel were left alone.

"So… I guess you will have to leave, then?", Anna asked, trying to keep her voice steady and not to reveal the nervousness she felt.

"Yes, I suppose so… my mission here is completed; Dracula is dead", said Gabriel in a rather indifferent tone and tore his eyes from hers. He was afraid that if he kept looking in her eyes she would be able to see through him, to see what was in his heart, what feelings he had but was trying to keep buried.

"My mission is completed, too. Dracula and his brides are no more, and my family will rest, at last, but…". She suddenly stopped when she realized what was about to escape her mouth. Still, this didn't pass unnoticed by Gabriel.

"But?", he asked her, his voice soft now, and he took a step towards her.

Anna felt the change in his behavior and looked up at him. His gaze was warm and concerned and was nothing like it was only a few moments ago.

"But…", she started, and then she could keep it inside no more. "But I have lost everything in this world! Everything was taken from me, all of my family, my father, and my brother! I have accomplished my mission, yes, but there is nothing for me here anymore! All my life I had been fighting, and this fighting had a purpose. Now that this purpose is achieved, why can I not be grateful, why can I not be peaceful, why do I feel that I don't want to stay here? How am I supposed to start a life as an ordinary woman since all my life I had never know what it means to live normally?", she burst out and then turned her back to Gabriel, trying to fight back the tears that had emerged in her eyes.

Gabriel felt his heart breaking at the sight of Anna, whom he had only known as a fearless warrior princess, now being so miserable and distressed. He wanted to move closer to her, to take her in his hug and comfort her, to whisper soothing words to her ear, to hold her and kiss her once more… But the hunter was not used to showing affection or to revealing his feelings. What he did was walk up to her and place his hands on her shoulders.

"Anna… you are not an ordinary woman…" he started, very uncertain of what to say next, and gave her shoulders a light squeeze in an attempt to encourage her. Her only reaction was to turn her head from left to right as if refusing something and then to lower it. "You are strong and you can face whatever comes up. Please don't give up now… please, Anna…"

Gabriel's words made Anna turn furiously to him, tears already streaming down her cheeks. She felt no anger, though. What she felt was desperation.

"No Gabriel! I am not strong! I am weak! Why do you think I'm strong, because I hold a sword and I fight monsters? I never had a choice, Gabriel! And everything I did, I did it for my family! It never mattered what might happen to me. I needed to save my family and that's all I knew. And what have I got in return? Losing everybody I ever cared for! No, I'm not strong… I am weak and selfish, aren't I, Gabriel?". She spoke the last words in a low, broken voice, and her eyes searched his for an answer.

Instead of speaking, Gabriel warmly pulled her in his arms and she rested her head on his chest. Then he started to stroke her hair slowly, trying to give her some comfort and to make her feel better, if that was possible. The princess gave out a small sigh.

"Anna, listen to me… You are not weak. You fought bravely and did what you needed to do in the eyes of God. Your family rests in peace now and… and wasn't it you that once said that there is a bright side of death?"

"You still don't understand!", she exclaimed and pulled away from his hug. "I don't ache for the loss of my family this time… Oh, how can you not understand? It is you I cannot lose now!", she cried and stood motionless, secretly craving for a loving reaction from his side.

Suddenly reality stroke Van Helsing. Taken somewhat aback, he managed to finally look at her and speak.

"Anna… I don't know what to say. I have wanted to tell you so many things all this time and now I don't know what to say…", he told her and lowered his eyes, uneasiness obvious in his behavior.

Anna, reconsidering what she had just revealed to him and judging by his reaction, decided on her next move.

"No, you don't need to say anything, Gabriel", she said bitterly. "You have a life and I should not interfere with it. There is no place in it for me…", she continued in the same manner and then turned and began to slowly walk away, her heart aching.

"My life is worth nothing without you, Anna!", he exclaimed. Anna stopped in her steps. Was what she had just heard real or was her mind playing games on her? "Please don't go…! Anna… I… I love you…! I love you with all my heart!"

With that she turned to him, and with her eyes filled with tears of happiness and relief this time, she ran over to him and into his arms. Gabriel embraced her tightly, as if he was afraid that she would vanish at any moment.

"Oh Gabriel… I love you, I love you so much!", she said happily and lifted her hand to his cheek. Gabriel placed his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her head closer for a kiss. Anna eagerly gave in and their lips, after a short moment of pause which they took to look lovingly and longingly into each other's eyes, finally sealed in a passionate kiss. Anna moved her arms on Gabriel's back and pulled him closer to her, so that their bodies were in full contact. This sent a jolt through the man's spine and he made the kiss deeper, his tongue hungrily searching the woman's mouth. Anna was the first to break the kiss, gasping for some air. Gabriel, for the first time, gave a big and warm smile to her, and they both laughed, with feelings of happiness overflowing them.

"This is so rare, but you smile so nicely!", Anna said and then slowly traced Gabriel's lips with her fingers. He felt his blood beginning to boil and leaned closer to kiss her again, but as he was about to do so Carl appeared in the entrance.

"Uhm, Van Helsing, I have- oops, I'm sorry…", the young friar said, and his cheeks started to turn somewhat reddish with embarrassment. Anna and Gabriel looked at each other and smiled.

"It's alright Carl, come in. What did they say?". He moved on to the subject as he usually did, avoiding all unnecessary and time-consuming prologues.

"Oh well, they are pleased with the outcome of the mission and ask for our soon return… Oh and they wish us a pleasant journey home, too."

"Home…!"

"Well Van Helsing, I think it's much better than nothing now isn't it?"

"Yes, Carl, yes, whatever… You are right. What did you answer them?"

"Oh I haven't answered them yet, thinking I should inform you first… When are we to return, so that I can tell them?"

Van Helsing hesitated for a moment before answering. His eyes traveled back to Anna's, needing her to give the answer, in a way. The princess searched his questioning look for a moment, and then she smiled and nodded affirmatively. Gabriel raised an eyebrow to her, but Anna's determined look made him reconsider, and then he turned to his friend.

"Soon Carl, very soon. But we won't return alone."

"Not alone? What is this supposed to mean? Oh don't tell me- "

"It means that I am coming with you!", Anna snapped, sounding like her old self again.

"Oh, alright, alright, don't shout", Carl tried to calm her down and then, turning to Gabriel, "ehm, Van Helsing, are you sure…?"

"Knock it off, Carl."

"Well since that's your decision what can I say… But I better not inform Rome about that. I don't think they're going to like it very much…", he mostly whispered the last words to himself rather than saying them aloud. "Goodnight then, to you two. I'll cable Rome tomorrow morning, just in case you want to have second thoughts on your decision", and having spoken these words, Carl left.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll get to learn something about who he really is, and explore his relationship with her a bit more deeply_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _Yes, bla bla bla I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie, I only own my own characters and plot bla bla bla etc…_

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 2

"Now… where were we? I think you were about to do something, Mr. Van Helsing!", Anna told Gabriel while a seducing grin formed on her lips. Gabriel seemed a tad more serious, though.

"Anna, are you sure this is the right thing to do? After all, this is your home, and I would never risk your life while hunting evil creatures."

"Yes it was my home, as long as there was something to keep me here. But there is nothing anymore. My home now belongs to no specific place, but to traveling and searching, to facing danger. You are my home, Gabriel, and you are all I want. You are all I truly ever wanted and hoped for deep inside me, but it was not until I met you that my eyes opened to the truth of my soul… and my heart. You are my home, Gabriel, do you understand?"

"Oh Anna, I could give up everything to just be with you! For once in my life I feel really content… and happy, things I've never felt before. Really, I could do anything for you… but I also want you to be safe and live a life rid of trouble and danger. You have had quite enough of these so far."

"My love, I would never ask you to give up your life, for you still have a purpose, unlike me… You need to search for answers, to search for your lost memories, and I am going to help you. You don't have to worry about endangering my life as you said, because I have been facing danger all my life. Danger is a part of me, Gabriel, as it is of you. We are made of the same material… And do you think I could ever be peaceful, staying inside, while knowing that you would be out there risking your life alone? No, I could never allow that! And, after all, it is my decision to come with you! Whatever it is to come, we will face it together. I will stand by your side… and be with you as one".

Gabriel felt very touched by Anna's words. That woman kept amazing him all the time, for there was no one like her in the whole world, and he was falling deeper and deeper in love with her. Still, the entire situation was completely new to him and he felt that his life had changed radically.

"Anna, you have brought light to my life. How can I refuse this light? I admire you and love you so deeply that I feel my heart won't be able to contain all my love and it will explode! I love you… I need you… Oh God please tell me that we are choosing the right thing to do, because I don't want my life if it is without Anna!", he exclaimed and turned his gaze upwards, like he was expecting an answer from God.

"God gave us the free will to make our own choices, and this is what we do. And if you ask me, yes, I think this is the right thing to do, because it's what we both want more than anything else."

After saying these words to him, she placed her hands on his cheeks and caressed him tenderly. She loved the feeling of his unshaved skin under her touch. Then she ran her hands through his hair, leaned in and kissed him passionately. Gabriel quickly gave in to her kiss, and as he began devouring her all his thoughts melted away, and it would seem that he was free of his concerns for a while. Anna expressed her passion for the hunter more feverishly now than she had done the previous time they kissed, and let her hands slide downwards, from his face to his chest. Oh his chest… so strong-build and beautiful, perfectly matching his broad shoulders, long legs and handsome face. To her, Gabriel seemed as pure male perfection, and she wondered if his body was really as perfect as she could guess it was… She imagined it to have been sculpted by angels… and she longed to see and feel that body, to feel his skin shiver under her touch. With these thoughts in her head she moved her hands up and down his back, tracing his muscles through the layer of the material of his shirt. Anna's touch turned Gabriel on; how much he longed to touch her! How many times had he dreamed of touching her delicate, porcelain skin… Only now did he realize that he wanted her from the very first moment he saw her, standing there in the square, tall and proud, looking at him in disbelief. The remembrance of her figure of the near past made him press his body harder against hers, while his hands slowly traveled on her back, finally coming to rest on the curves of her hips; he wanted her to feel him, to feel how much he longed for her.

Anna broke their kiss, and while his hands were still on her hips she looked at him straight in the eye. Gabriel looked back at her and for a moment he thought that he might have got it too far, so he removed his hands from their resting place and began to speak.

"Anna, I, I'm-"

"Shhh… you don't need to speak. I know", she said and smiled to him. "I don't want to be alone tonight, Gabriel", she told him.

Gabriel looked at her for a moment, and when he saw that her expression was reassuring and inviting him, a mischievous grin appeared on his face.

"Then maybe the princess should show me to her private quarters", he teased her and lifted her up in his arms. Moments later, they were in Anna's bed chamber.

"I want to take this slowly… I want it to be most pleasurable… I want to know every inch of your body…", she whispered to his ear as he carefully laid her on the mattress.

Gabriel simply smiled to her and nodded in agreement. But Anna was not going to simply lie down and wait for him; she wanted to take some initiatives herself. So while Gabriel was still standing next to the bed, ready to lower his body on hers, she rose and kneeled on the bed so that they were in eye-level contact. Gabriel was pleasantly surprised by her move, but after all he expected no passivity from this woman; his woman. They kissed again, tongues exploring, and then Gabriel started trailing his kisses downwards, on the corner of her mouth, on her chin, and then down her neck. Anna threw her head back, her wonderful hair creating a waterfall of curls, so that she could give him better access to her skin. Gabriel kissed his way down her neck to the valley between her breasts. When he reached that spot Anna moaned slightly, and then she lifted her head so that she could look at him. The hunter's eyes were burning with passion and lust, begging her to let him go on, and at the same time showing some hesitation.

"Come on my love, touch me", Anna said and took Gabriel's hands in hers. Then she placed them on her sides and slowly guided them upwards until they met the curves of her breasts. Then she let go of them. Gabriel was too aroused to stop; he teased the soft flesh through the thin material. Then he carefully but passionately placed his hands on her breasts and cupped them, squeezing them gently as his thumbs were teasing her nipples.

"Anna", he gasped, experiencing feelings he had long forgotten. "Anna I want you, I want you so much", he continued.

"Help me out of this corset!"

He obeyed and helped her untie the corset. Now her blouse was hanging very loosely on her shoulders. Gabriel, unable to hold back, placed his hands on her sides and caressed her from under the blouse, slowly moving upwards until he reached her breasts. Her soft skin and full breasts felt wonderfully in his hands and he closed his eyes, letting out a growl from the deep of his throat. Then he lifted Anna's blouse over her head and lowered his face to her breasts, where he began kissing, licking and sucking. Anna was letting out small moans of pleasure, herself experiencing feelings she had never tasted before.

Then Gabriel moved forward, slightly pushing Anna backwards, so he too knelt on the bed. Anna took advantage of that moment of pause to make her own moves. Her delicate hands roamed from Gabriel's rugged face to his strong neck, from his broad shoulders to his arms from his chest to his abdomen and sides. Then she embraced him and let her hands explore her lover's back, as he tilted his head forward and buried it in the space between her shoulder and neck. Soon she lifted his shirt and pulled it over his head, her hands now free to enjoy his firm and toned torso. Anna thought that he truly seemed to have been sculpted by angels and she was happy to see her assumption coming true.

"You do so well, my love…", he approved of her actions and encouraged her to go on.

Anna's hands continued their task and soon found themselves sliding downward and cupping Gabriel's butt. It felt so firm to her and she gave it a small squeeze of approval. Gabriel moaned and lifted his head so that he could make eye contact with her. He smiled and she smiled back. Then he trapped her lips in another feverish kiss, his hands savoring her flesh. At that moment Gabriel decided to take a step forward.

Carefully and slowly, wishing by no means to frighten her, he moved his hands lower on her abdomen and then on her upper thighs. He received no negative reaction from her side, so he went on and placed his hand on the tender spot between her legs. Anna shivered and moaned in pleasure. Gabriel kissed her again and started to caress her tenderly. Anna moaned again and arched her body towards him.

"Anna, is it alright? Are you feeling comfortable?", he worried, though he could clearly see that Anna was totally responding to his passion.

"Oh yes, Gabriel, I am fine, and it feels great. It's just that… I haven't done this before…"

"Oh my love, you don't have to worry. I would never do anything that might hurt you. At any moment, if you are not feeling you are enjoying this, just tell me and I will stop, alright?"

"But I don't want you to stop, Gabriel…", she assured him, her voice soft, passionate and seductive. "I need to touch you…", she continued, her eyes locked on his, "I need to give you the pleasure you are giving me now…"

Gabriel said nothing; he only smiled to her, removed his hand from the hot spot it was working on and leaned backwards a bit, waiting eagerly for her move, while his heart was beating like a drum. Anna hesitated for a brief moment and searched his eyes again. His gaze was more than inviting, exactly like his body. The princess moved her hands on her lover's hips and then caressed her way downwards, on his strong thighs, avoiding the tempting bulge on purpose. Gabriel was holding his breath. After a few more strokes, she placed her hand on his hardness and cupped it gently. Gabriel closed his eyes and let out a deep growl. Then he spontaneously rocked his hips forward so that he filled her palm wholly. Anna on her side was very excited and holding her breath, too. She could clearly sense how much Gabriel was enjoying her touch, and the more her hand worked on him, even with the barrier of his pants between them, the harder he was getting, and this made her feel more aroused.

Suddenly Gabriel could hold back no more.

"Anna, I want you, I want you now!", he said, his voice the ultimate expression of male lust.

Anna said nothing. She grasped his shoulders and leaned backwards on the bed, pulling him down with her. Then she spread her legs and wrapped them around his waist. Gabriel pushed against her and Anna thought that it felt extremely good. He lowered his head, and his mouth asked for Anna's lips to invite them into a kiss, but Anna needed to speak.

"We need to take these off", she said and pulled on his waistband.

"Now you are becoming aggressive! I thought that you wanted to take it slowly, princess!", he teased her a bit. "But I like this change in rules", he said and quickly pulled her pants down and off of her, so that she was totally exposed to him now. Anna, wasting no time, undid his belt and pulled his pants down. Gabriel kicked them away. They were both naked now, entwined in each other's hug and loving gaze.

Gabriel moved his hand between them and touched her hot and wet entrance. Anna moaned and arched her body again towards him. He tenderly caressed her sensitive folds and then carefully and slowly inserted a finger in her. Anna cried out in pleasure. To him, she seemed more than ready; still, he needed her reassurance.

"Anna, are you ready…?"

"Oh Gabriel yes! I need you inside me now! Please!"

"I'll go slowly, I don't want to hurt you…", he told her and then placed the tip of his penis in her entrance. Anna moaned again and rocked her hips towards him, begging him to enter her fully. Gabriel slowly pushed inside her a bit, allowing her some time to adjust. When she was ready, Gabriel gave one more thrust, somewhat more powerful this time and buried the whole of his size in her. Anna gasped at the feeling of Gabriel entering her and she felt a small pain, but it soon subsided and was replaced by pleasure. Gabriel waited again, knowing it was Anna's first time. Soon, she arched her body again, inviting him to start thrusting in and out of her. And so he did, steadily increasing the pace of his thrusts. Soon Anna was about to reach her orgasm.

"Oh Gabriel, I'm, I'm-", she gasped, and then her orgasm took over her, sending jolts of ultimate pleasure all over her body. Gabriel, feeling her muscles clasping around him, reached his orgasm too, and after a couple of more shallow thrusts he shot his hot seed inside her, while calling her name. Then, as the waves of his orgasm subsided and waves of exhaustion started taking over him, he lowered his weight next to his lover. Anna's breathing had returned to normal now, and she held Gabriel's head, who was now lying next to her, his body partially covering hers.

"I love you", she told him.

"And I love you", he responded and smiled to her.

After some time during which they remained silent, apparently lost in their own thoughts, Anna decided to speak.

"You know", she started, trying to sound serious, "I had never thought that this tough and distant man I first set eyes on in the town's square would make such a passionate and tender lover…", she teased him.

"But you had thought of him as a lover", he shot back with a mischievous expression on his face, and before she had had any time to come up with an answer he leaned over her and kissed her passionately. "He has had similar thoughts about you, too", he told her after their kiss and with the back of his hand caressed her cheek. Anna took his hand and brought it to her lips. Then she placed a sweet kiss on it.

"I think we both need to rest now", she said, and after thinking for a while, she continued, "I want to leave this place as soon as possible", she told him and let her hand rest on his chest.

"But why?", he wondered.

"Because it brings sad memories to me."

"But pleasant ones as well, right?"

"Yes… I will happily keep my good memories with me, and I don't need a place to be reminded of my family, and of our meeting. Still, if leaving this place can help even a little to forget all the sadness and tragedy of my family, I want to take that chance."

"Anna, don't expect that Rome is like heaven, or that our life together, under the given circumstances, can ever be like heaven either…"

"Gabriel, I told you before. All I want is your love. And I need a change. You can give me both", she said and placed a kiss on his chest. Gabriel shivered under her touch, and she smiled to him warmly. "You don't need to worry about me. Let's look at the bright side of life, this time. Our life", she stated and then pulled the heavy covers over them. Feeling protected and safe in his hug, she rested her head on his chest and soon fell asleep. Gabriel let his fingers play with the curls of her dark hair, and thought of what had happened between them and what could possibly follow. But soon, weariness took over him and he too gave in to a sleep free of nightmares, for the first time in all his days he could remember.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll get to learn something about who he really is, and explore his relationship with her a bit more deeply_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _Yes, bla bla bla I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie, I only own my own characters and plot bla bla bla etc…_

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 3

Gabriel was the first to wake up early next morning. Anna was sleeping quietly, with her arms wrapped around her pillow and her head turned to her lover's side. A faint smile was on her face. Gabriel thought that she would probably be dreaming of her family. Supporting his upper body on his right elbow, he turned to her and leaned closer. With his fingers he pushed away the random locks that were on her face, and he lightly caressed her cheek. The princess moved slightly, and then she opened her eyes. Gabriel smiled to her.

"Good morning", he said and kissed her softly.

"Mmm…", she murmured in a sleepy voice, and gave Gabriel a smile. "How was your sleep?", she asked him.

"Good… really good, for the first time in my life. Thanks to you, my love", he replied.

Anna looked tenderly into his eyes, his beautiful hazel eyes. She could tell that he was truly peaceful now. Then she extended her arm and placed her hand on the back of his neck, pulling him down for a passionate kiss. He responded eagerly, but broke the kiss rather quickly.

"I need to find Carl. He was to cable Rome today. And, from what I know, they always want me to return as soon as possible after my missions are carried out. And we need to gather our things. We should better leave with daylight", and with these words he jumped out of the bed and started putting on his heavy clothes. Anna, though, seemed rather lazy.

"Why can we not have even one single day of tranquility…", she wondered bitterly and let herself fall back on the mattress. Gabriel gave her a strange look, as if he would never expect to hear something like that from her. But Anna quickly recomposed, and regretted having said that. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have said that. I understand that we have to go as soon as possible", she told him. Gabriel only smiled to her warmly and then spoke.

"Get some time to gather your things. I'll be back soon", he said and left. To Anna, he looked like the old Gabriel, the monster slayer she had known. Yesterday night he was a different man, she thought. He was different when he was with her, being for once able to get intimate and express his feelings. But today he was Van Helsing again, the man who had a purpose, but not his memories, the man who had a present and probably a future, but not a past. Anna loved him and admired him deeply. She admired his courage and determination, his patience and will to go on… And with these thoughts in her head, she got up and dressed quickly in her trademark clothes that were scattered on the floor after last night's feverish games. Then she started to gather her things. She wouldn't need many, after all. As soon as she was ready, she readied three Transylvanian horses of the finest breed for their departure, and then prepared a light breakfast, so that the three of them would have something to eat before they left.

While waiting for Gabriel and Carl, she took some time to think again about what had happened. Really, everything seemed to have happened too fast after the hunter's arrival in town. And now there she was, rid of Dracula and the evil he represented and ruled, having served her ancestor's sacred oath so that all previous generations of her family could finally rest in peace, and having found real love, the love she never believed would ever appear in her dim and troubled life.

Anna looked around. The Valerious mansion was large, and rather cold. She would probably miss it somewhat, but she did want to leave; she wanted to be with Gabriel, to know the people he worked for and the place he returned after his missions, to know him through every aspect of his life, as he had known her here in Transylvania. And she knew that whenever she felt like returning to her homeland, Gabriel would not oppose; he respected her and understood her, even though sometimes his behavior wasn't obviously proving this. But Anna knew. She had seen through him, and she knew. And she felt secure, happy, and content.

Soon, footsteps were heard in the corridor and the two men appeared. Anna greeted them warmly. Carl responded in the same attitude, and Gabriel smiled to her.

"How did it go? Have you told them that I am to come with you?", she asked.

"Well, yes… we decided they should know of it", Carl answered her.

"What did they say about it?"

"They are eager to welcome you. Now, is everything ready?", asked Gabriel, not willing to waste any time.

"Yes, and I have also chosen three of the best Transylvanian horses for our leave taking. I wanted no carriage, because I can't trust anyone here to be our driver. Plus, if it happens that we get into any kind of trouble, it will be easier to escape on a horseback... Oh, I have prepared breakfast, too. I thought that we should eat something before leaving."

"Good, very good… both for your decision about the horses, and for the breakfast!", said the hunter and gave the princess a kiss on the cheek.

Their breakfast was accompanied by their joyful chat. All of them seemed to be happy, each of them for their own reasons. Carl was happy to leave this place that gave him shivers, and return to his lab. Anna was happy to have saved her family, leave behind this life of horror, and to have met Gabriel. And Gabriel was glad to have carried out his mission successfully and to now go back to Rome together with his only love.

Some time later, they were leaving Transylvania and beginning their journey to Rome, which was to last a few days. They would cross the Carpathians and then travel west, stopping in towns that were on their way to spend the nights. Finally, they would reach Italy by crossing the Adriatic Sea. All of them prayed that the whole journey would be safe and untroubled. At least, it had started so.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note**: _Many thanks to my reviewer, Elwyndra! I hope you'll like the way my story will develop! I promise to do my best! To everyone else who is reading the story (if anyone else is reading the story lol), please be kind and review:)_

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll get to learn something about who he really is, and explore his relationship with her a bit more deeply_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _Yes, bla bla bla I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie, I only own my own characters and plot bla bla bla etc…_

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 4

The journey had started under good signs, or at least there weren't any bad ones. The three travelers chose to cross the Carpathians as fast as possible, because it wasn't the most pleasant thing in the world to set camp in the woods while it was still winter. Moreover, those mountains could never be considered safe, and they seemed to even now hold something of their former horror, when Dracula was well alive and his evil servants haunted the Carpathian forests.

Thanks to their Transylvanian horses, it didn't take them too long to reach Hungary. The sun would set in a couple of hours, and the travelers were rather tired, so they decided to stop in the first town they reached.

Actually, it looked more of a village than a town, and the inn was not hard at all to find. Some of the local people would look at the strangers with suspicious eyes, others in awe, and others would simply ignore them.

"These people don't look exceptionally friendly…", Carl started, "but it's much better compared to our arrival in Transylv-"

"Carl..! Hold your tongue for once, can't you, dammit?!", Gabriel scolded him, thinking that Carl had just insulted Anna.

"Let him be Gabriel… He's not wrong anyway. Your welcoming to Transylvania wasn't the best you could expect", Anna commented.

"I never hope for a warm welcome, and I never get one. Damn, how could I, since I'm the most wanted man in Europe?"

"I can make out some irritation in your attitude today, Van Helsing… You have been rather abrupt since you woke up, and you already cursed twice in a minute now!"

"The monk here is not me", Gabriel snapped, but kept his voice calm.

"Actually I'm just a friar. I can-"

"Yes, I know, you can curse all you want. But don't get on my nerves now, will you?"

"Alright, alright… You're probably not in the mood…"

"Hey, stop it now, that's enough. Let's go to the inn and see if there are any rooms for us", Anna interrupted the men's silly quarrel and led the way towards the old inn.

The receptionist was an old woman who didn't show any special interest in the newcomers. Gabriel couldn't sense anything unpleasant about her; therefore he decided to trust her, at least for starters.

"We need two rooms, one double- and one single-bedded. And close to each other, if possible", he required in a manner that revealed he wasn't willing to receive "no" as an answer.

"Let me see what I can give you… By the way, where do you come from? You don't seem to be from here", she asked them rather indifferently.

"No we're not. So what can you give us?". It was Anna's turn to speak.

"Exactly what you asked for, madam… Here are the keys. How long are you planning to stay?"

"Just tonight. Thanks… Oh and something else, please. I guess you also offer food here?", Anna asked politely.

"We do, but not at this hour. There is a tavern only a few streets from here, if you want to have something to eat. Enjoy your stay", the woman told them and got back to her business, apparently not willing to speak with them any longer. She was cleverer than she looked, and in spite of her sixty-five years her brain was still sharp.

The three of them climbed the stairs to the first floor where their rooms awaited them. True to her word, she had given them rooms that were right next to each other.

"Alright, let's leave our things and find ourselves some food then", said Anna, who seemed to be rather cheerful tonight.

The men nodded in agreement and then they all entered their rooms. They weren't very big or luxurious, but they were better than nothing, and after having slept out in the cold, a warm bed looked like heaven to the three travelers.

Some time later, they found themselves enjoying a nice meal in the tavern that the receptionist had told them about. It wasn't too crowded and not heavily lit. All in all, it seemed to be a good place to eat and relax, and it was just what Gabriel, Anna and Carl wanted.

"Do you trust her? I mean this woman, at the inn…", Anna asked, obviously addressing her question to Gabriel.

"I don't sense something evil in her… She just isn't the friendliest person on earth. Still, we should always be cautious. Let's see if for once the whole world won't go against us!", Gabriel said and laughed with bitter irony.

The two others said nothing, only looked at Gabriel and then turned their eyes elsewhere. After some time's silence, Carl spoke.

"Ehm, Van Helsing…", he started in a very low voice. "Have you noticed…those men over there? They-"

"Yes I know, Carl. Act as if you have no idea."

"Do you think… Do you think they have recognized you?"

"I can't be sure, but I think they have not. The light is dim, and I still have this hat on my head. But they look suspicious. I'm keeping an eye on them."

"What's going on? Where are they?", Anna asked in confusion but didn't move from her place at all, knowing that if she did so she would attract far too much attention.

"You have your back on them, and don't turn. I don't think they're dangerous. Hey, don't worry..."

"I don't want anything bad to happen", she told him.

"Yes, let's hope nothing will happen… And we're leaving tomorrow, thank God!", Carl said in relief.

"Look, I think we should go as soon as possible", Gabriel stated.

"What if they follow us?", Anna worried.

"They better not, for their own good", the hunter replied, his voice strong and stable. Something inside him, maybe his experience or perhaps his instinct, was telling him to move fast, and that they weren't going to be alone tonight. "And now, if you are ready, we should be going", he said and lowered his hat so that it would hide his eyes from the others, while he could see everything.

"If we weren't in such a state now, I'd tell you that you turn me on when you do that…" Anna whispered to Gabriel's ear, but he didn't respond; it was no time for sweet lovers' words.

Soon afterwards, they stood and left the tavern. Gabriel set up a quick pace.

"Van Helsing, I cannot catch up with you! Why do we have to rush, anyway?"

"Keep quiet. And move", he replied coldly. He really wasn't in the mood today, Carl thought.

There was no light in the streets, which were rather narrow and dusty.

"Why does it always look worse at night…", Carl whispered to himself and kept following the couple.

"Oh I can't wait to get into-", Anna started but Gabriel interrupted her.

"Shh!", he silenced her. "We are being followed. Quickly, turn here", he urged them.

A few moments later, and as they were waiting, with their backs on the wall and holding their breaths, hidden well by the darkness, footsteps were heard. And they were approaching them.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note**: _Alright, I decided to give a more adventurous twist to the story, thinking that it'll make it more interesting. What I said in the previous chapters about the exploration in feelings is still on, but I decided to make the story a bit more complicated and maybe a little longer too. I hope you'll like it!_

_And of course, zillions of thanks to my reviewer, Elwyndra!_

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll follow their journey to Rome with all of its events, and finally we'll get to learn something about who he really is. All the way, there will be an exploration of his relationship with her_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _Yes, bla bla bla I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie, I only own my own characters and plot bla bla bla etc…_

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 5

The footsteps were continuously getting louder, a sign that the ones who created them were approaching the three people behind the wall. The hunter's experienced ears were telling him where exactly their followers were, at any moment. And he was waiting for the opportune moment…

"Are we going to get them?" Anna whispered to Gabriel, her voice barely audible. He nodded positively.

"We need to know what they want. On my signal", he whispered back, and lifted his left hand, ready to do as he said.

Carl was too scared to move a muscle. Anna's hand went slowly but firmly to the handle of her sword. Gabriel reached for his pistol… and then it was time! He moved his hand quickly, giving the signal, and the hunter with the princess left their hiding place and appeared out of the blue in front of the three men that were following them.

"What the hell do you want?!", Gabriel shouted to them with his pistol pointed to the first man's head, counting on the element of surprise, while Anna was holding her sword in a threatening way towards the strangers. They now looked scared, obviously unprepared for things to turn this way.

"No… We mean no harm…", one of them said in a trembling voice.

Gabriel searched the man's eyes under the faint light of the new moon, and he sensed no evil. He lowered his pistol slowly. Anna glanced at him questioningly, her sword still pointing at the men.

"You are Van Helsing… right?", asked the tallest of them, trying to shake the fear off of him.

"Why do you ask? Who are you?"

"I'm… I'm Laszlo", the tall man answered, "and these are Istvan, my younger brother, and Matyas, a friend of ours."

"And what do you want from us? If you mean no harm as you said then why were you following us in the middle of the night?", asked Anna in an irritated tone. At least they weren't monsters, she thought.

"We need your help… You must be princess Anna?", Istvan uttered.

"Our… help?", asked a surprised Gabriel.

Meanwhile, hearing what was going on, Carl decided that there was nothing to fear, so he left his hiding place and appeared behind the couple. Anna lowered her sword a bit and started to look intensely at the men's faces, and Gabriel took a couple of steps towards them and narrowed his eyes, examining them. The man called Laszlo was tall, but not as tall as Gabriel. He wore a long, dark brown coat and a torn hat, and he had long blonde hair and blue eyes. His brother Istvan was significantly shorter than him, and dressed in the same way, only in dark green. Istvan's hair and eyes were light brown. Their friend Matyas was quite taller than Istvan; he was wearing a shorter black coat and his features were a bit darker as well.

"Ehm, Van Helsing…", Carl called him reluctantly, "who are these people?"

Gabriel only glanced back to him and raised an eyebrow of annoyance, for the friar had just revealed his identity, and then turned again to Istvan.

"So good we found you, Mr. Van Helsing!", the man said, relief evident in his voice. "News spread so fast. They say that you killed Dracula! So we feverishly prayed to God and begged His Grace to send you to our town! And there you are!"

"Yeah, God listens to everyone's prayers but mine…", Gabriel murmured bitterly. "So what exactly is it that you want?", he asked them directly.

"Our sister, sir…", cried Laszlo, "and Matyas's fiancée, was kidnapped by the Dark Witch! We need your help to rescue her, please!", he pleaded.

"The Dark Witch of the Hollow Cave?", Carl asked in terror.

"Yes… Please, we need your help!"

"Oh my God!", Carl exclaimed.

"What now Carl, have you heard of her?", Gabriel asked his friend, trying to make sense of what had just been said.

"If I have heard of her? Everybody has!". At that Gabriel rolled back his eyes, trying to keep his temper.

"Get to the point, Carl", he said.

"Alright, alright… Why do you get so annoyed? Well this woman, if Dracula was called the Son of the Devil, then she should be his Daughter!"

"Don't tell me she's a vampire", Anna said.

"No, of course not! She's a witch, not a vampire. And she's said to-"

"Wait a moment!", Anna interrupted him. "How do we now that they are telling the truth? Maybe this is some kind of trap!"

"Anna, they are not evil… Trust me, I know", Gabriel tried to calm her. Anna looked into her lover's eyes and found the reassurance she was looking for.

"Oh and by the way, are you going to help them, Van Helsing? Maybe I should remind you that we must go-"

"I know Carl, do you think I don't? But these people here are innocent, and a young woman is suffering. I cannot abandon them."

"Well, neither can I. You said she is your sister, right?", Anna asked them, apparently touched by the men's connection to the kidnapped woman.

"Yes, madam…", Laszlo replied.

"I know very well how it is to lose someone of your own blood, and I don't want to see other people suffering this way. I promise to do my best for your sister", she stated.

"Oh thank you, thank you so much for this! We will owe you a favor forever!", Istvan exclaimed, his eyes expressing his true gratitude.

"But Van Helsing, Anna… are you sure…?"

"Look Carl, we made a decision", Gabriel told him. "But you don't have to stay if you don't want to. I see that it's going to be dangerous and-"

"Oh and who is going to tell you about that witch if not me? I'm not going anywhere!", Carl said in an outburst of bravery and pride.

Gabriel smiled to his friend, feeling proud for him, and patted the friar's shoulder. His facial expression was revealing thankfulness and warmth. Really, what would he do without Carl?

"Gentlemen, now that we agreed to help you, what would you say about joining us on our way to the inn? There we can sit on a table and discuss what we're going to do", Anna suggested.

"As you please, miss…", Matyas responded. He hadn't spoken so far, and he was still somewhat scared of the strange couple that had just promised to help him and his friends get his fiancée back.

After a while, the six of them entered the inn. There was no light except for two ancient oil lamps, and the old woman was not there. A younger one, probably in he early thirties, was behind the reception desk, trying to stay awake, but at the sound of the door creaking open she jumped from her seat, very much alert now.

"Margareta, my dear…", Laszlo greeted the woman and gave her a light kiss. "Let me introduce you to our guests. Mr. Van Helsing, princess Anna… and Carl, this is my wife, Margareta."

The woman greeted them warmly, and they responded in the same manner.

"We didn't see you here earlier… There was an older woman", Anna commented.

"Yes I sometimes work here at nights, when Laszlo and Istvan cannot".

"By the way, the older woman you mentioned is our mother", said Istvan.

"Your mother? Now this explains how you knew where to find us…", Gabriel realized.

"It's a small town, a village you might call it… We are all somehow connected to each other", Istvan added. "And yes, I must admit, our mother told us where we could possibly find you".

"She must be a very clever woman… She gave out no sign of having recognized who we are; but she obviously had", Anna said amazed. "But why did she choose not to tell us anything?", the princess wondered.

"She thought it would be best if we told you, she didn't want to interfere… Furthermore, she thought that you wouldn't possibly believe her", Laszlo answered her.

"And why did you follow us? Why didn't you come over to our table at the tavern and speak to us?", Gabriel inquired.

"Well, we weren't sure how to approach you, and while we were discussing what to do, you left! So we had no choice but to follow you. And we all know the rest", Laszlo explained.

Gabriel looked at them and smiled; their explanation sounded believable. Then Istvan pointed to one of the tables and all of them soon took their places around it. After a while, Margareta brought some hot tea for them. Then she said goodnight to all and retired.

"Alright, enough with introductions and all. Let's get to the point. Carl, tell us what you know about this witch", Gabriel required.

"Yes, of course… Now, her true name is not known… In the books she is recorded with different names, probably the names of the women whose bodies she dominated at each time."

"What? What did you say?". Anna couldn't believe her own ears.

"Yes, she dominates women's bodies… Now listen. This witch is possibly very old, as we had the first records of her in ancient Egypt…"

"Ancient Egypt!", exclaimed both Anna and Gabriel.

"Yes, now are you going to let me tell the story?"

"Sorry", they answered in one voice.

The three other men remained silent, having heard some of these tales before, and waiting for the friar to go on. And so he did.

"It is said that when she reached the age of twenty five, she wished to grow no older in appearance, and also to live eternally. She was a priestess of the evil gods, a very dark woman herself, known to her contemporaries for her evil witchcraft, but she was clever enough not to get in trouble with the Pharaoh. She was afraid of him because he was considered a god himself, the son of the god Ra. Anyway, as her alliances were the Egyptian gods of darkness and evil, she begged them to fulfill her wish. And they did so, at the cost of her soul, quite similarly to Dracula's case. But this is not all. She was bound by those gods to seek for a new body every twenty five years, and she was allowed to transfer her spirit only into a woman's body. And that woman should be at the age of twenty five. No more, no less."

At this point Carl paused for a while and let his listeners contemplate what they had just heard. They all seemed very concerned, thinking of what they should do. Obviously, it wasn't an easy case.

"And… I guess your sister is twenty five years old?", Gabriel broke the silence.

The men nodded affirmatively. Matyas felt tears rushing up to his eyes, and he tried to fight them back. Why did it have to be the woman he loved?

"What is her name?", the hunter asked.

"Ilona…", Lazlo answered him.

"A beautiful name…", Anna commented.

"Carl, what else should we know?", Gabriel got back to the subject.

"Quite some things yet. So, when this priestess dominated her first victim, news reached Pharaoh's ears and she was banished from Egypt. She was afraid to disobey, so she left. The following centuries she must have kept traveling, because there are records of her in Mesopotamia, Syria, Persia, Greece, even the Roman Empire… In the Middle Ages she mostly lived in central and northern Europe… It's a wonder how she escaped the Inquisition… Anyway, it seems that she has settled in Hungary the last two centuries…"

"Yes, that's true. I myself have also heard the stories about her ancient Egyptian origin. She lives alone and isolated, in the Hollow Cave. That's a cave at the feet of the mountain that rises on the east of our town. She never comes in contact with people, only once in twenty five years, when she needs to find a new woman and steal her body for herself", Istvan told them.

"But hasn't anyone tried to kill her in all the centuries past?", Anna wondered.

"Things aren't clear with this witch… See, what Istvan said is true. She never bothers anyone, only a woman disappears once in twenty five years. Maybe people have settled with that, like your people had settled with Dracula and his brides, Anna", Carl told her.

"Yes but this was because we didn't know how to kill Dracula! There was nothing else the villagers could do but settle with the situation!", Anna protested.

"We don't know how to kill her either", Matyas told them.

"Right, so how do I kill her?", rushed Gabriel to his field of interest and specialization.

"That's why I am here, isn't it? Well, it's not easy at all to kill her. This can only be done when the moon is half."

"When the moon is half? What's that for?", the hunter wondered.

"The half moon is a symbol to her and she has to obey to it. It stands for the half she is… Her spiritual half that searches for its carnal half; a half that is not really hers but put under total control and command of her spiritual one."

"So why can we not kill her at any other time?"

"Because if you kill her at any other time you will only kill the body… Her soul will wait for the half moon to dominate a new one; these were the orders of the ancient gods. Actually, if you kill her at any other time you will make things easier for her, because her non-material spirit will very easily slip into a woman's body and take over her."

"Oh God… It sounds terrible", Anna said in a low voice.

"Now, there is a way to save both women, the one she possesses already and the one she is about to move into. When the moon is half, she performs a ritual during which her spirit leaves its former body, floats in the air for some time while she says the appropriate prayers to her masters, and then it enters the new body. When the ritual is done, the previous body disintegrates to ashes and her new body wakes up with her spirit inside."

"So what is the way to save them?"

"It is said that if you shoot a golden arrow right in the air above the two bodies and exactly between them, then you will kill her once and for all. But the witch must not sense your presence before you shoot, otherwise you will have to face her dark magic powers. And I'm afraid you could do little to something you cannot see or touch. In a nutshell, if she takes notice of you, you will be dead before you realize it. That's why I said she should be called the Daughter of the Devil … It's very difficult to approach her and therefore kill her."

"Thanks for the encouragement, Carl… But anyway, is this going to work? A golden arrow… through the air?"

"Well, it hasn't been tried before. If it had, there would be records of the results in the books now right? Or maybe those who knew of the method weren't exactly lucky while performing it, who knows… Don't you underestimate the method, Van Helsing… Not all evil creatures are meant to be chopped to pieces!"

"Chopped to pieces or not, if there's one good thing about evil creatures it is that there is always a way to get rid of them!", Gabriel said in a hard voice with some hint of humor in it, and then grabbed his hat and stood. "Now, my friends, the half moon is in a few days… And from what I have understood, your sister is safe until then. So, we'll meet again tomorrow morning and discuss some further things."

"You are right, Mr. Van Helsing. We should leave you then to rest. Many thanks again for the help you are willing to offer us", said Laszlo, and then the two brothers went to the reception desk while Matyas left the inn.

Gabriel, Anna and Carl went upstairs, so they could talk privately for a while. Not everything could be told in front of the three men who were still strangers to them, more or less. The three of them went inside the couple's room and locked the door.

"I think we need to cable Rome again tomorrow, and inform them about our change of plans", Carl said.

"Yes indeed. They are going to miss us for a few days more. And really, I wonder how come they hadn't sent me after that witch…"

"She's not a priority, because she doesn't kill or bother people. She is like a chronic disease that let's you know it's there only once in a blue moon", Carl commented.

"Full moons, half moons, blue moons! I don't want to hear about moons for at least a year!", Gabriel joked.

"But now that we came across her we cannot ignore her! It's not right for the women of this area to live with her fear!", Anna stated, ignoring Gabriel's attempt to lighten the atmosphere.

"Yes exactly… Her soul needs deliverance from the nets of evil", Gabriel said thoughtfully. "Alright, enough said. We've had quite enough for today, and we all need to rest."

"Ehm yes, Van Helsing, you are right. So, goodnight to you…", said Carl. Then Gabriel unlocked the door for him, said goodnight to his friend and the friar left.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note**: _This one is more of a romantic chapter. Unfolding of the plot will follow soon:)_

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll follow their journey to Rome with all of its events, and finally we'll get to learn something about who he really is. All the way, there will be an exploration of his relationship with her_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _Yes, bla bla bla I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie, I only own my own characters and plot bla bla bla etc…_

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 6

"That was quite some day!", Anna said while she was trying to untie her corset.

"Yes… And I am to face a strange enemy", Gabriel responded, seemingly thoughtful.

"We are to face a strange enemy", Anna remarked, stressing the word "we".

"I don't want to put your life in danger, Anna. I'm thinking of going after that witch on my own. There's no point in risking your life, or Carl's life, or even the men's lives…"

"What are you talking about? I told you that whatever comes, we face it together! And I'm not willing to change my mind about that, whether you like it or not", Anna attacked.

"Anna, don't shout at me. Don't you see that there's no point in coming with me? It's just an arrow to be shot, dammit, not hordes of vampires to fight!"

"Is this what you're going to tell me every time you'll have a mission? Are you always going to shut me out like that?". Anna's voice was broken, showing that she was hurt by Gabriel's behavior.

Gabriel saw what kind of effect his words had on her. He wanted to protect her, he wanted her to be safe… but this woman was brave and stubborn and wouldn't draw back.

"My love… please. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just don't want anything bad to happen to you… You heard what Carl said about the witch", Gabriel told her in a soothing voice and went close to her.

"Then let me come with you".

"And what if the three men ask me to let them come with me as well? Should I let them come too? Yes, they are her brothers and fiancé, but what do they know of evil creatures? And then what, will it be a bunch of people going after a spirit? Carl said that the one who wants to kill her must pass unnoticed by her. How will that be possible if all of us go looking for her?"

"Leave everybody else behind, but not me. I can always help you", Anna said and took his hands in hers, looking at him straight in the eye.

Gabriel lowered his eyes, not being able to bear her penetrating gaze. What should he do? He could see that Anna was determined to go with him, and if he decided to leave her behind she would be deeply hurt. Still, it was risky to take her with him.

"Anna…", he started, "I don't know… I don't want to hurt you but both choices seem like dead-ends to me…"

"Then let me make the choice", she said and leaned in for a kiss, but Gabriel turned his face away, his eyes still low. "What, you don't want to kiss me?", Anna asked him, obviously irritated now.

"No, it's not that and you know it… It's just that I don't like your decision."

"Hey… come here", Anna told him and led him by the hand to the bed. Then they sat down close to each other. Gabriel turned his face to her and Anna ran her hand through his hair. "Listen to me , Gabriel. When I told you that I want to be with you, I meant I want to be with you all the time, whatever you do, wherever you are. Can you not see how much I love you? I could die for you!"

"Exactly this is what I don't want to happen."

"Being left behind will be much worse to me than dying in combat."

"Oh God…! If only there was a way to avoid all this!", he wished and buried his face in his palms. Then he let himself fall back on the mattress.

Anna leaned backwards too and propped herself on her elbow. With her left hand she traced Gabriel's fingers that were still covering his face. Feeling her soft touch, he removed his hands and looked into Anna's eyes that were glowing with love for him. The hunter wondered whether he deserved such great love.

"Why are you looking at me like that?", she asked him.

"Like what?"

"Like you are feeling guilty or something…"

"I don't want anything bad to happen to you…"

"You've told me this a million times. Are you not bored of it yet?"

"I will never get bored of it."

Anna smiled to him, feeling pleased inside her by his answer, and then she spoke again.

"I love you, hunter."

"I love you, princess."

Sharing these loving words made something melt inside Gabriel. How could he ever oppose to Anna's will? He felt he was a slave to her charm, and he loved it. So he reached out and cupped Anna's face gently, softly caressing her cheek. Anna leaned down for a kiss, and this time he didn't turn away. Their lips locked in a kiss, which started as a soft and light one, but the more their lips were in contact, the more passionate the kiss was becoming. Anna moved her hands on Gabriel's chest, as he was lying face up on the bed, and then lower on his abdomen until she reached his waistband. Then she quickly slid her hand under it. Gabriel gasped.

"What?!… Ohh... Mmm… What are you doing…", he managed to say, eyes rolled backed in pleasure.

His manhood was soon hard as a rock, and Anna unbuttoned his pants and pulled them to his knees. Her delicate hand was now working intensely on his shaft.

"I want to taste you…", she told him in a voice full of lust.

"What? Are… Ohh… Are you sure you… you want to do this?", he asked her, almost entranced by her touch.

Anna didn't answer. She lowered her head on his hardness and licked the tip of it. Gabriel moaned in response. After teasing it for a while, she slowly tried to take him in her mouth, and after a few attempts she managed to do so. Then she started licking and sucking on it, until she brought Gabriel close to his orgasm. But then she suddenly stopped.

"Anna, why…", he panted, "why did you stop? I was… I was so close…"

"Yes I know. But let's delay it a bit", she said with a wicked smile.

"Oh you want to torture me… that's not fair", he complained and sat up.

Anna also sat up, and they leaned close for another kiss. Gabriel moved his hands on her back and managed to remove her corset, which was already half untied by her. With his passion still burning hard between his legs, he quickly reached for her blouse and ripped it open.

"You destroyed it!", exclaimed Anna, pretending to be annoyed.

"You'll get another one", he said and cupped her breasts firmly, rubbing hard on her nipples, making his lover let out moans of pleasure. Soon Anna was as much aroused as Gabriel was.

"What do you think, do you want to delay this any longer?", he asked her.

"I don't think I can…", she answered him and then he helped her out of her pants. He also got rid of his own and took off his shirt as well.

"Come here…", he said and lifted her so that she would straddle him.

As soon as she felt his penis pressing against her wet entrance, she shivered and moaned. Then she lifted herself a bit so that he could place the tip inside her. When he had done so, she lowered herself on him hard, and as he entered her fully and fast at once, they both cried out in pleasure. Then instinctively Anna started rocking her body back and forth. Gabriel was supporting her moves and held her by her hips, with his hands savoring her long thighs and firm butt every now and then. Finally they both felt their orgasms building up. Before he came, Gabriel flipped them over so that he could thrust into her hard, making it more pleasurable for both of them. And it truly was so, as the two lovers reached their climaxes and let themselves get lost into a sea of ecstasy and oblivion…

When their breaths had returned to normal and their heartbeats had slowed down, they lay down on the mattress exhausted, still feeling the aftermath of the intense pleasure they had just experienced and shared. Finally Anna decided to speak.

"You are different when we are alone, when we make love…"

"You are different too. But it's a side of you I adore", he told her tenderly.

"If only we could stay like that forever…!", she wished and hugged her lover tightly, pressing her breasts against his chest.

"Yes indeed, but if you go on hugging me like that, I don't think we will get any rest tonight…", he teased her.

"Mmm… our great hunter is getting turned on again?", she teased him back and reached down under the covers to touch him.

"Anna, stop it, otherwise…"

"Otherwise what?"

"Otherwise I'll take you for a second round!"

"I'm in!", she said, and they started enjoying each other's flesh for once more this night.

The next morning found the two lovers well asleep, and perhaps they would continue sleeping for a couple of hours more, if it hadn't been for a knock on the door. Anna woke up first.

"Who is it? Carl, is that you?", she called from inside.

"Yes, Anna, could you… could you open the door, please?"

"Err, just a moment!", she answered him, and after rushing out of the bed she took a new blouse from her stuff and put on her clothes quickly. Then she walked to the door and opened it.

"Good morning. Oh, have I woken you up?", he asked her, seeing that her hair was in quite a mess, and also Gabriel's sleeping figure in the bed as the friar glanced inside the room.

"Well, no, I mean… Yes you did, Carl! What's so pressing that can't wait for an hour more?"

"What do you mean, you wanted to sleep more? It's almost noon! Haven't you slept all night long?", he wondered, and then as he realized why the princess had said that, "Oh, you might not have slept all night long… Well, this is your business, but I must inform you that those men have come again and they would like to speak with Van Helsing", he informed her. "I will go downstairs and wait for you. They also serve breakfast; it's not the best, but... Oh well, don't be too late."

"Fine. We'll be down in a minute", she told him and then Carl left.

Gabriel had awakened because of the voices, and when he heard the door closing he sat up.

"Well it seems it's time to get down to business", he commented.

"Good morning, Gabriel", he told him in an irritated manner.

"What? Oh, forgive me… Good morning, my love. Did you sleep well?", he asked her and walked up to her with a smile on his face.

"Yes I did... How about you getting dressed? They are waiting for you downstairs", she told him rather coldly.

The smile disappeared from Gabriel's lips, and he got to gather his clothes. As soon as he had got dressed, he glanced back to Anna who was trying to fix her hair in front of a pathetic mirror.

"Hey…", he started, moving closer to her. "Are you alright? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just didn't wake up very well", she replied and went on doing her hair.

Gabriel stood behind her and hugged her by her waist. Then he placed a warm kiss on the left side of her neck. Anna closed her eyes for a moment, tilted her head to the right and smiled.

"Are you feeling better now, my love?", he asked her tenderly.

"Yes, much better. Thank you for being so sweet today… Please forgive me for my coldness before…"

"Shh… What are you saying now? Come on, let's go and see what they want to tell us today, huh?"

"Alright, we'll go. What are you going to tell them?"

"Don't worry. You know what I'm going to tell them, don't you? And now let your hair be, I like it a lot the way it is."

Anna turned to Gabriel and hugged him tightly, with a warm smile brightening her face. Then they shared a kiss, and exited their room.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note**: _I'm keeping on posting chapters to my story, though I still don't get reviews, except for Elwyndra of course… Quite a saddening fact, really. Anyway, since I started this story I'm gonna finish it, no matter what._

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll follow their journey to Rome with all of its events, and finally we'll get to learn something about who he really is. All the way, there will be an exploration of his relationship with her_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _Yes, bla bla bla I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie, I only own my own characters and plot bla bla bla etc…_

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 7

When Gabriel and Anna got downstairs they found the three men sitting at the same table they had sat the previous night. Carl was also with them. The old woman was at the reception desk as well, and she glanced at the couple as they approached the men.

Van Helsing and Anna greeted them and they greeted them back. Then Laszlo nodded for them to take their seats.

"I hope you have had a pleasant night", the older brother started. Anna and Gabriel looked at each other in a conspiratorial way. "May I tell my wife to bring you some breakfast?", he continued.

"Yes please, that would be so kind of you", Anna told him politely. Gabriel just nodded in agreement.

Then Laszlo stood and disappeared behind a door, probably the kitchen door. He came back before long and took his seat again.

"So… the moon is gong to be half quite soon", Gabriel decided to get right into the subject, as usual.

"Yes… we need to get organized and get Ilona back", said Istvan.

"Let me ask you one question: How much do you know about evil creatures?", the hunter asked him directly.

"Err…", the man hesitated. "Well, not very much, to be frank. But I can use a pistol. Laszlo and I often go hunting and-"

"I don't think a pistol would be much useful in this case. And you, Matyas, what do you know?"

"Not much, sir… But I am willing to do anything to get my fiancée back!", Matyas said bravely.

"That's brave of you, but you wouldn't like to put her life in danger, right?", Gabriel continued, guiding the conversation where he wanted.

"No way!"

"Good…", he said.

At that moment Margareta appeared and served breakfast to Gabriel and Anna. It wasn't a very rich one, just a couple of toasts, black cherry marmalade and orange juice. The couple started eating, apparently hungry. After a while, Laszlo decided to speak.

"Excuse me, but what did you mean to say, Mr. Van Helsing?", he asked, and he seemed to be the cleverest of the three.

"What I mean to say is that you'd better stay here, if you want your girl to stand a chance of being saved. I see you are not the least experienced in fighting evil", Gabriel responded firmly, and perhaps a bit abruptly.

"Well, yes… That's why we asked for your help, Mr. Van Helsing. But really, couldn't we come with you and help you? I don't scare easily and Matyas-"

"I don't doubt your bravery and courage", Gabriel tried to sound diplomatic. "It's just that you lack in experience as I told you before. You better stay here. My friend Carl will keep you company. Anna and I will go after that witch", he concluded and gave Anna a small smile. Anna smiled back for Gabriel had finally accepted her decision.

"What, Van Helsing…? Do you really mean to leave me behind?", Carl asked, taken aback a bit. He was expecting to go with them. "Well, as grateful as I am to stay here in safety, do you really think you can make it on your own? What if that witch casts spells on you? Who will then speak the words to break them?", he presented his strongest argument.

Gabriel remained thoughtful for a moment. Carl was right, in a way. Spiritual evil was not his best, since he knew very little of spells and stuff like that, quite similarly to Anna. Maybe Carl would be proved helpful…

"Alright Carl, maybe you should come then", he finally said. "Gentlemen, I'll let you know when we will leave. Now, could you tell me where exactly this, so called, Hollow Cave is?"

"Yes I can tell you, but what's more, I can show you quite close to it. And we will also try and provide you with whatever you may need", Laszlo offered.

"I'm going to need a golden arrow. No, make them three. And thanks, I'll take your offer about the cave", Gabriel responded.

"It is not too far… we could go today, perhaps now, if you like", Laszlo said.

"Alright. Let us just finish our breakfast."

"As you wish, sir", said Laszlo and he nodded to the two others to leave the table. "We'll be right outside, readying the horses", he informed them and then they left.

Anna had remained silent during the conversation, carefully listening to what was being said. Now she had already finished eating.

"I say we too should come with you now. It would be better if all of us know the way to her lair", she told Gabriel.

"Yes indeed. Well, Carl, I didn't know of your knowledge about spells! How come you know so many things?"

"I read… And, Van Helsing, don't forget you have to do with a genius here! That bunch of vampires would still be on our heels if it wasn't for me and my great invention! I had been working twelve years on it!"

"Yes, yes, you are right…Oh, and thanks for offering to help us. Well, I think we can go now", Gabriel said as he pushed the napkin aside and grabbed his hat. Anna fastened her sword-belt and the three of them went outside to meet the men. They were there, holding six horses by the reins.

"We thought that you might all want to come…", Istvan said and pointed at the horses.

"Good thought", said the hunter and mounted his horse. The rest did the same and they soon were out of the small town and on their way to the Hollow Cave. Laszlo was leading the small group. They headed east, towards the mountain. After about one hour's ride they reached a forest.

"The Hollow Cave is right at the end of the forest", Laszlo informed them. "There are no marked paths to follow, but it's not very difficult to find your way. They say that if you keep going straight forward from here, you will find rocks as you exit the woods. They also say the cave is well hidden, and that maybe it's lower from this level, in the ground. I can't tell for sure. What we know is all rumors."

"I have read about the Hollow Cave. It is actually well-hidden by the rocks, but not underground. The books describe it in quite some detail, and when I cross-checked their information I realized that they were actually saying the same things about it", Carl said, adding on to the information Laszlo had just given.

"It is said that the witch, who has the name Jolanka now, often wanders in this very forest, in search of raw materials for her evil work, or she just runs around in ecstasy. People say they have heard weird or wicked screams coming from this forest, or even words of an unknown language being spoken when the moon is half. But as I told you before, there is no proof of all these. Still, I wouldn't like to go into the woods, even under the sunlight", Laszlo told them. His voice had a hint of fear but he was managing well enough to conceal it.

"Alright, we'll take into account what you said. There's no need for you to go in there. We can go back now. Thanks for showing us the way", Gabriel told the man.

"It was the least we could do", Matyas replied quickly, before Laszlo had any time to speak. The two brothers nodded affirmatively, showing their agreement.

The group then took the way back to the town and when they arrived it was around midday. The brothers took the horses to the stable, while the rest walked into the inn. The old woman at the reception greeted them.

"Margareta has prepared lunch, in case you want to eat something…", she informed them.

"Good", Gabriel only said and then they moved to a table, as the old woman went to the kitchen.

"I will try to get you the arrows as soon as possible. It's not the easiest thing to find gold here but I know someone who can probably help us…", Matyas told Van Helsing.

"I trust you can take care of that", the hunter commented.

"I am willing to do anything for Ilona…", the young man said, his voice full of emotion now.

"You must love her a lot…", Anna said warmly and smiled to him.

"Oh, I do! I love her so much… She's the most wonderful woman I've ever met! And she loves me too. We were to get married soon, but…", his voice broke.

"Don't worry, my friend. We'll do our best to bring her back to you", Gabriel assured him.

"Thank you, thank you so much! You don't know what your help means to me…", Matyas opened himself for the first time to the strange couple.

"Trust me, we do", Gabriel replied and squeezed Anna's hand gently under the table. Anna smiled at her lover.

After a while the two brothers came in, and soon afterwards Margareta served lunch to all of them. Laszlo asked her to sit with them, and she accepted shyly.

"Oh, something I need to say…", Carl started and everybody turned their eyes to him. Glad to have everybody's full attention, he continued. "The arrows that Van Helsing will need… Well, Van Helsing, they must be fitting to your crossbow, right?"

"Right…"

"I will get the arrows", Matyas said. "But how do I know if they fit?"

"Oh I'll come with you then. The crossbow is my latest invention, and no one knows more about it than me!", he exclaimed proudly, but when Gabriel raised an eyebrow of irony to him, he quickly reconsidered. "Ah yes, except for Van Helsing, of course…"

"Alright, Carl, do as you said. Anna and I will talk about our way of action. The half moon is in three days from today. The arrows better be ready soon", said Gabriel and then they all engaged in enjoying the lunch, accompanying it with some chat that included the brothers' business with the inn, praises to Margareta for her cooking and then Gabriel, Anna and Carl narrating their story of Dracula's extermination. The three men stood amazed by what they heard, and Istvan couldn't believe that Gabriel had actually turned into a werewolf. They were all sorry for Velkan's fate, and also quite surprised by the fact that Frankenstein's monster wasn't evil.

It was early in the afternoon when they decided it was time they left the table. Apparently, they all seemed to have enjoyed the conversation. To Gabriel and Anna the men seemed to be of good nature, and they were also kind. Clearly, they knew how to treat people; it was part of their job, after all.

Later in the afternoon and after having taken some rest, Carl thought he should let Rome know of what they were up to. With all the events of the morning, this had been left behind. On the other hand, Gabriel and Anna preferred to stay in their room and discuss what they should do. Actually, there wasn't too much to be said. The basic thing was that they should make as little noise as possible while approaching the cave. The witch would perform the ritual outside the cave, because she had to be under the half moon's light, according to Carl's sayings, so they only had to hide behind the rocks and shoot the arrow when the time came. If they managed to reach the rocks unnoticed, what could possibly go wrong? Anna chose to be optimistic. However, Gabriel was more thoughtful, because his experience was telling him that sometimes what seemed easy at first turned to be rather difficult. And this enemy differed from the other ones he had faced. What could he do against a spirit? His mighty weapons wouldn't work on it. He knew he would exclusively depend on Carl, if something went wrong and the witch attacked them. These thoughts were bothering Gabriel a lot, and he disliked it very much that the lives of Anna and Carl would be put in danger as well. He didn't care much for himself; Gabriel had never cared much about his own life. He had never had something to lose if he got killed in a mission. Quite strangely, he had always made it out alive. No evil creature had survived a meeting with him. But now he couldn't say he didn't care the least for his life. This time things were a bit different. He had Anna, and he wanted to live for her, to be with her and see her smile, to make her happy, if that was possible. And she believed in him with all her heart; Gabriel could clearly sense that. She was willing to follow him anywhere, and she wanted to help him find out who he really was. Who he really was… That was a question Gabriel had almost come to believe would never truly be answered. Dracula had implied a lot of things about his past, and Gabriel still bore his ring on his finger… But what could be hiding behind Dracula's implications? Did the Vatican really know nothing about him? What had happened the day they had found him crawling at the steps of St. Peter? Why had they never told him about it? And why he had never asked, he now wondered. What about his memories, his nightmares of ancient battles past? Would he ever be free of them? Was it possible that he had actually lived for many centuries? Was he even human? Those questions tortured his soul by demanding their answers. He could never be in peace. At least, this was the truth of him until very recently. Now, whenever he was with Anna he felt an unprecedented inner peace… He felt he was a different man, as she had told him. And while these thoughts were swirling in his head, he swore an oath to himself, that if they all came out of this adventure alive and safe, he would always love Anna and he would never leave her. He would forever stand by her side like a guarding angel.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll follow their journey to Rome with all of its events, and finally we'll get to learn something about who he really is. All the way, there will be an exploration of his relationship with her_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _Yes, bla bla bla I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie, I only own my own characters and plot bla bla bla etc…_

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 8

The next days passed without any significant events. Matyas brought six golden arrows to Van Helsing and Carl had made they sure were fitting perfectly to Gabriel's crossbow. Actually, Gabriel had asked for three of them, but for the best of it Matyas had apparently found the appropriate person and he was able to get the double number of arrows. And after all, the more chances the hunter would have to succeed in his goal, the better it would be for Ilona's chances of being rescued.

Gabriel, Anna and Carl decided to leave for their mission by sunset. According to Carl, the witch would perform the ritual at midnight, so they preferred to have enough time ahead of them and get prepared well. Laszlo, Istvan and Matyas met with them some time before they left, and they wished them good luck. They also said that they would constantly pray for the mission to succeed and for all of them to return safe and sound with their beloved Ilona, and with the other woman too.

The three of them followed the way they had been shown a few days ago and they soon reached the forest. The night had already fallen and the forest looked creepier than it did when they first saw it. However, they had no choice but to enter it.

"We better leave the horses here… We'll make less sound without them. And the forest isn't vast. I estimate we'll be on the other side in a couple of hours or maybe a bit more, depending on how fast we'll be moving. Come, let's have the most of time ahead", Gabriel suggested.

"How do you know it's not vast?", Anna wondered.

"The brothers told me so. And, if you remember, we could clearly see the mountain rising above our heads when we came here a few days ago. It was close, therefore the forest can't be that big", Gabriel answered her and smiled.

"Right…", Anna said in a low voice, amazed by her lover's power of observation.

"Well, I don't know about you two, but for the moment I feel grateful that there are no demonic screams coming from the woods…", Carl told them and moved forward, following the couple.

"Come on, let's move. Aren't you excited about meeting this notorious witch in a few hours?", Gabriel asked them, trying to joke a bit.

"No", Anna and Carl answered in one voice.

The forest was quite dense; therefore, little of the moonlight was allowed to make its way to the ground. They preferred not to hold any torches, because the light of the fire could possibly attract the witch, and this was something they all deprecated. But this decision of theirs made their effort of crossing the forest slower and more difficult.

Laszlo had been right; there weren't any paths to follow. Van Helsing kept going first, with Anna slightly behind him and Carl following the two of them. None of them spoke while walking. Gabriel wanted to direct full attention of his ears to possible strange noises; Anna didn't want to speak in case the witch heard them, and Carl was just too scared to utter a word.

Fortunately, nothing unpleasant disturbed their silent crossing of the forest. Carl was wondering inside him how the hell they were following the right way among all those trees, but he hoped his trust to Van Helsing would be proved justified. Surely enough, the hunter had been in similar situations before, and he knew now what he was doing. Carl kept telling this to himself and tried to remain calm. He recalled his knowledge about magic spells. He knew a lot of things about them, but would they be enough if something went wrong? No, nothing would go wrong. Nothing should go wrong.

Soon the forest became much less dense. They were reaching the end of it, and their hearts started to race. They were there. At last, they would see the witch and try to send her to hell.

"See the rocks?", Gabriel whispered and nodded to the others to follow him. "I think this is a good spot to remain hidden. I doubt she can see us here, but we'll be able to see her pretty well."

"How can you tell? Where is the cave?", Car asked him.

"See for yourself", he replied and pointed to a dark opening some meters away.

"Well, Van Helsing, you definitely are experienced…", the friar said as he looked over to where Gabriel had pointed.

"Shh, be quiet… Hey, look!", Anna said trying to keep her voice as low as she could. "What's that light?"

"It must be her. She's preparing for the ritual", Gabriel inferred.

The group then remained silent, observing the unearthly light that was coming out of the cave's opening. They could hear nothing, though. More time passed with them having their eyes locked on the strange sight, until she appeared. She was dressed in a long purple robe and her blonde hair was floating in the air above her shoulders, as if she were in the water. There was nothing demonic about her appearance; she rather looked like a young woman dressed somewhat like a priestess. But Gabriel could tell that her appearance was deceiving. Pure evil had dominated this young woman's soul, and it would soon leave this body for another…

The witch spoke some words in ancient Egyptian and a long marble altar appeared in front of her. Then she turned to the entrance of the cave and started speaking again, while she raised her arms in the air. Her voice became louder and more imposing, and a woman's body appeared, floating in the air, at the mouth of the cave. The witch turned and slowly directed the body on the altar. The body was Ilona, the woman of twenty five years, the one she would soon dominate.

The three people behind the rocks were holding their breaths. Gabriel held firmly at the crossbow in his left hand. The arrows were at place, ready to be shot one after another, if needed. The construction of the rocks created an angle and gave him a good spot to aim and fire. He was ready, but for now they had their attention at the witch's movements. After a while she made another altar appear, and it was similar to the previous one. Anna thought that this one was for the body she had now, Jolanka's body. When she would lie on it, the spirit would escape the body and start its calling to the ancient gods. Then it would be the time for Gabriel to shoot and kill the witch. Anna prayed that he would be successful… Perhaps he would have only one chance.

As Anna had predicted, the witch placed her body on the altar, and then suddenly a black and purple smoke came out of it and floated in the space above and between the two bodies. It's faint and trembling image was lit by the half moon's light. As it took its place, an eerie ancient female voice was heard; it was the true voice of the witch, and it was chanting now, calling to the ancient gods of darkness.

"Gabriel… it's time!", Anna told him.

"This is it", he said.

The hunter raised his crossbow and held it steady. He aimed carefully at the evil, smoke-like figure, and then fired a golden arrow into the black of night.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's note:** _At last, I got more reviews! A great "thank you" to AnnaVanHelsing1887! I hope you'll like this chapter:)_

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll follow their journey to Rome with all of its events, and finally we'll get to learn something about who he really is. All the way, there will be an exploration of his relationship with her_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _Yes, bla bla bla I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie, I only own my own characters and plot bla bla bla etc…_

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 9

The arrow was shot. Now it was flying towards its target. Gabriel was full alert, ready to shoot another one if it was necessary. Suddenly the eerie chanting stopped and a horrible screech replaced it, tearing the night.

"Is she… is she dead now?", Carl dared ask, but nobody answered him.

Then the black and purple smoke slowly faded away, and something else appeared. It was a young woman, with long straight black hair and dressed in the robes of an ancient Egyptian priestess. Her figure was floating in the air and she seemed to be bleeding from a wound on her chest.

"Shoot! Shoot her again!", Anna urged Gabriel.

"No…wait", he simply said and kept looking at the female figure, only a few meters from them.

"Come out! I want to see the face of my murderer!", the priestess called and her voice was more than imposing.

Van Helsing hesitated for a brief moment but then he decided to do as she wanted, still aiming at her with his crossbow.

"Be careful…", Anna told him.

"What do you want? Are you not dead yet?", he said ironically, without a hint of fear. Something inside him was telling him that he had nothing to fear.

"You… You!", the woman exclaimed in awe and dropped to the ground on her knees. "I knew you would come for me, Gabriel…"

"What are you saying? How do you know me?", Gabriel asked her in confusion. Did more creatures know him already, other than Dracula?

"We all know you…", she answered him dryly and then her eyes shined gold for a moment. "Save me!", she begged him. Gabriel was taken aback, as well as Anna and Carl who were watching from safety. "Save me! You have the power to save me…!", she begged him again.

"What? How… how can I save you?". Gabriel was astonished.

"Shoot me…shoot me again and release my soul from the grasp of evil before I die… I have regretted for my choice and allegiance of some thousands of years ago… I want to die in peace… Please, free me of my eternal torment! You have the power to give me salvation and not let my soul be damned forever! Oh, I want to die, how much I want to die!", she cried, and now she was stretching her arms towards Gabriel, as if she wanted to grab his coat and pull him down. The blood from her wound was flowing rapidly and it had stained her priestess' robes.

Gabriel looked at her once more. He felt she possessed some answers to his questions, but he could see that she wouldn't tell him anything now in the state that she was. The only thing that remained was to shoot her again and free her soul, as she was begging him to do. So he raised his crossbow, aimed, and fired another golden arrow that went straight for her heart. Her eyes glowed golden again, and she smiled to Gabriel in a grateful way. Then her figure dissolved into thin air, and she was gone forever.

"Requiescat in pace…", he whispered and did the sign of the cross.

As soon as it was over, Anna and Carl abandoned their hiding place and ran to Gabriel. He stood motionless, expressionless, still unable to comprehend what had just happened. She wanted to die, and he offered her death. But she took the answers he craved for with her. Would he never know the truth?

Anna tried to shake Gabriel back to reality. Meanwhile, Carl had moved over to the altars and checked on the two women. They were still alive and looked like sleeping. He wondered if he should wake them at once.

"Ehm, Van Helsing… What are we going to do with the women?", the friar asked his friend who still had an unearthly look on his face.

"Gabriel… Gabriel talk to me", Anna prompted him and placed her hands on his cheeks. Gabriel blinked and then looked at his lover wearily.

"I'm… I'm alright…", he murmured. Anna threw herself into his hug but he didn't respond immediately. He lifted his arms at her sudden movement and he just let her embrace him, not knowing what to do. Anna hugged him more tightly and nuzzled her face against his chest. He lowered his head and looked at her, and then he slowly put his arms around her. He breathed the scent of her hair, and he remembered.

"Anna… Anna… I missed you…", he told her tenderly and closed his arms around her protectively.

"Excuse me, lovebirds, but what are we going to do with the women?", Carl asked again a bit irritated now about their ignoring him.

"Oh yes, Carl, I'm sorry. I'm coming over right away", Gabriel finally responded to the friar's call, quite embarrassed for his behavior.

"It seems to me that they are sleeping. What about trying to wake them up?", said Anna.

"Is there anything else we can do? Unless we wait for them all night long until they wake up on their own…", Gabriel commented with a hint of humor in his voice.

Then they called the women's names and shook them lightly so that they would wake up. Finally, they did.

"What… What has happened?", Ilona wondered and climbed down the altar.

"Who are you?", Jolanka asked them.

"Don't worry, we're friends. We are here to help you. Ilona, we'll take you back to your brothers", Anna tried to calm them down.

"How are you feeling?", Carl asked them.

"A bit dizzy… What are your names?", Jolanka insisted.

"Well, I am Carl", the friar answered, "and these are Gabriel and Anna", he said and pointed to the couple.

"How have I got here? I can't remember anything!", Jolanka exclaimed in confusion.

"Do you know what year it is?", Gabriel asked her, a bit unexpectedly.

"What? What do you mean what year it is... It is 1863 A. D.!"

"No it's not. It's 1888 A. D.. Your body was dominated by a witch, and she was going to transfer her spirit into yours, Ilona. But she's dead now and you are safe", Gabriel told the women.

"A witch? Oh my God… Oh my God, now I remember! She had kidnapped me while I was riding my horse alone in the countryside… She wanted me for some kind of ritual… I remember now… So is it really twenty five year later? Oh my God…", she said again.

"Yes it is… Now, it's rather late at night. We have to go back. We'll explain what you need to know on our way to your town", Gabriel told them.

"Are my mother and brothers alright? And Matyas, my fiancé… Do you know him?", Ilona asked them innocently.

"Yes my dear, they are all fine and waiting for you. Come now, we have to cross the forest. Do you feel strong enough to walk?", Anna asked her gently.

"Yes I feel fine… Thank you… Anna", the young woman replied.

The five of them took the long way back through the forest. Van Helsing was leading the way once more, while Anna and Carl were walking with the women and talking with them. Ilona was happy and grateful to have been saved, and she was excited about seeing her beloved people again. Jolanka was happy too, but she was more thoughtful. How would things be for her now that she had miraculously arrived twenty five years in the future? Would her relatives still be alive? She would have been fifty years old now if she hadn't been captured by that witch. At least she was thankful she hadn't married, because her husband would be old now and her children about twenty five years old… Would her parents still be alive? How much she had missed them, only now did she realize. But still, she was young and could start a new life with new people.

Anna and Carl narrated them the whole story, from the beginning to the end and answered all their questions that could be answered. When they found their horses it was almost daybreak. The women rode with Anna and Carl. Gabriel was distant and didn't speak a word during their returning to the small town. Anna noticed that but chose not to mention it in front of the women. She would speak with him later. Alone.

The group finally reached the town and headed for the inn. The brothers, their mother and Matyas, as well as Margareta, were all there waiting. They hadn't slept a wink the whole night, but when they heard a firm knock on the door everybody leapt from their seats. Laszlo opened the door, and at the sight of his sister he was overwhelmed with emotions of joy and happiness.

"Ilona, Ilona! Beloved sister!", he cried and embraced her warmly. Istvan did the same, and then it was Matyas' turn to hold his wife-to-be. Tears of happiness had emerged to his eyes, and to Ilona's eyes too. Margareta also gave Ilona a warm sisterly hug. Last came her mother, who held her daughter tightly in her hug and whispered soothing words to her. The rest of the group stayed discreetly aside and let the family live their special moments of reunion.

Jolanka stared at the happy people and felt some jealousy. Was there anyone to care for her? Then, as if she had read her thoughts, Anna turned to her and put her arm around her shoulders. The princess smiled to her warmly.

"Everything I going to be alright", she soothed her. "Trust me, I know."

"Thank you… Thank you for the encouragement", the woman replied. "The sun is up, I think I should go to my house… Or at least where my house used to be", she told Anna.

"Do you want me to come with you?", she offered.

"No, thanks again. But I would rather go alone."

"As you like. We will still be here today, if you wish to see us once more. But I suspect we'll leave tomorrow morning", Anna informed Jolanka. The woman nodded and then left the inn.

"We don't know how to thank you…", Laszlo started.

"Some lunch for later would be nice", Gabriel told him and raised an eyebrow to the man.

"But of course! Margareta, can you take care of that, my love?"

"Oh, absolutely!", she said happily.

"Really, now, Mr. Van Helsing, Miss Valerious, Father… What would you like in return for this great good you did to our family?", the old woman asked them, for the first time looking truly emotional.

"Nothing… I only have a question for your sons", Gabriel said and then looked at Laszlo and Istvan. They nodded for him to ask it. "How did you trust me, in the first place, when there are posters of me wanted all over Europe?"

Silence fell to the room. The two brothers looked at each other until Laszlo decided to speak.

"Well… At first we believed what they said about you being a… a murderer", he paused for a while, waiting to see Gabriel's reaction; but there was none, so he continued. "Then came the very unfortunate event of Ilona getting kidnapped…", Laszlo sighed. "Soon word came to town that you killed Dracula… Dracula was the Son of the Devil, for what we all knew. Why should Van Helsing kill him if he was evil himself, we thought. And, Mr. Van Helsing, as I had told you, we prayed for you to come to our godforsaken little town. And you did! God would never send someone evil… You are a holy man, Mr. Van Helsing. And you were our only hope."

"I'm not a holy man…", Gabriel said in a low tone and dropped his gaze to the floor. But soon he regained control over himself again. "Thank you for answering my question. And now we would like to rest for a couple of hours, if you don't mind."

"Yes, yes, as you wish. We will be eternally grateful to you!", Laszlo exclaimed. Anna and Carl smiled to the family, and then they followed Gabriel to the stairs. "I will tell Margareta to notify you when lunch is ready", Laszlo told them as they were walking up the stairs to the first floor.

"Thank you", Anna replied.

As soon as the three of them got upstairs and into the couple's room, Van Helsing decided to speak.

"Carl, cable Rome and tell them that the witch is dead, and that we are leaving tomorrow, alright?", he asked of him wearily.

"Alright, alright… Van Helsing, are you alright? You don't seem-"

"I'm fine, Carl, just a bit tired…", Gabriel interrupted him.

Carl looked at Van Helsing again and then at Anna. She nodded to him and they understood each other. Then Carl left them alone.

"Gabriel, my love, what's wrong? Since you killed the witch you are behaving strangely… Will you speak to me?", she asked him softly and took his hand in hers as they sat on the edge of their bed.

"Nothing… I'm just tired…", he said again and avoided her eyes.

"Look at me. Hey, look at me", she said and ran her fingers through his hair so that she made him turn his face to her. "Talk to me, Gabriel. Your silence and your distance are breaking my heart, for God's sake!", she cried and suppressed a sob in her throat.

Anna was ready to cry, to cry for him. Why was he doing this to her? What had she done to him to deserve such an awful behavior from his side? Gabriel hated himself for hurting the woman he loved.

"Don't cry, my love…", he started, and wiped a tear that had just started to run down her cheek with his thumb. "I don't deserve your tears…"

"Exactly! You deserve much more than my tears! Please, Gabriel, I'm asking you once more, talk to me!"

"That witch… she knew. She knew me."

"What? How?"

"I don't know… But I felt she had answers for me, answers to my questions. But now they're gone with her. I'll never know", he said bitterly and fought hard to repress the tears that were emerging to his own eyes.

"Don't lose your hopes, my love. There is always another way. And I'm here for you… Even if we never know your past, I won't care. I have you as you are and you are all I want", she told him tenderly and kissed him softly. Gabriel closed his eyes and breathed in her scent.

"Thank you… for all you've done for me. I have nothing to give you but my love, and it's overwhelming my heart…", he whispered to her.

"It's nothing less than I want", she whispered back and then their lips sealed in a passionate kiss that relieved them from the fatigue and the tension of the day. More kisses followed the first one, and then they both leaned backwards on the bed and gave in a sweet lovemaking that cleansed their minds of every disturbing thought…


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's note:** _Greetings once more, my friends! Thank you very much for your wonderful reviews and patience… Well, guess what! I updated again lol. Okay, mind some language in this chapter. :)_

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll follow their journey to Rome with all of its events, and finally we'll get to learn something about who he really is. All the way, there will be an exploration of his relationship with her_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _Yes, bla bla bla I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie, I only own my own characters and plot bla bla bla etc…_

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 10

The rest of the day passed rather pleasantly for Gabriel, Anna and Carl. They enjoyed the family's company, and also Jolanka visited them in the afternoon. She was happy to have found her parents, elderly now but alive and well. The woman shared with the others her mixed feelings of joy and depression; she saw her parents again, but she remembered them a lot younger… But their feelings of overwhelming happiness to see their daughter again, their only daughter that they had long considered dead, prevailed over anything else. Jolanka stayed with her new friends for a few hours, and before she left she thanked her rescuers once more.

Anna suggested that they stay a couple of days more at the little Hungarian town, but her companions insisted on leaving as soon as possible, which meant the following morning. The brothers offered to prepare for them some things that they might need for their journey. Ilona gave Anna a small silver cross as a gift and wished her eternal happiness with the man she loved. Anna found the woman's move very touching and thought that it had been worth risking their lives for her.

The three travelers left the inn early in the morning. This town had given them an unexpected adventure to remember, feelings to hold dear, and new friends that would always open their door for them. After bidding farewell to the family, Gabriel, Anna and Carl mounted their horses and rode west.

They spent another night in Hungary, with no extraordinary events occurring this time. A couple of days later the travelers reached Serbia, but their stay in the first town they stopped at didn't last long; some people recognized Van Helsing and called the local authorities. This event resulted in the three friends grabbing their belongings in the middle of the night and galloping away and as far as possible from the little town.

Their riding brought them to the Dalmatian shores of the Adriatic Sea in a cold, windy and rainy night. Few of their provisions were left and they were exhausted. Soaking wet to the bone, they brought their horses to a much slower pace and rode quietly in the town heading for the harbor. None of them was in a mood to speak; they just kept riding, accompanied only by the sound of the rhythmic pace of their horses, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

The harbor was small and dirty. Drunken men were to be found randomly in the narrow streets, as well as prostitutes who obscenely demonstrated their goods to the men and invited them with filthy words to enjoy a night with them. Anna felt sick at the sight; Carl felt strangely as he was not quite used to such, the least to be said, improper behavior, while Gabriel simply ignored them all and kept riding.

Some time later they found the office of the harbor. It was a small building and it seemed that it would have certainly collapsed if the wind was but a little stronger. The three companions decided to knock on the door.

"Hey! Is anybody inside?", Gabriel called and knocked on the wooden door twice, but he received no answer.

"Does anybody hear me?", Anna shouted as loud as she could, trying to keep her voice audible despite the heavy rain and the wind.

"Well to me it seems that no one is there…", Carl concluded. "Why must we always be so unlucky?", he complained.

Right then a middle aged man appeared from the corner. He was holding an empty bottle and singing something incomprehensible, while he stumbled his way towards them.

"Hey! Hey, you there!", Gabriel yelled at the man, who stopped in his steps and looked at them. "Do you know where I can find the harbor officer?", he asked him.

"I don't think he's able to give you an answer…", Anna commented.

"Wh… What… The officer?", the man uttered in a drunken voice and a thick accent. "We were… We were drinking together… at the tavern…", he continued and pointed shakily towards the direction he came from. "Go tell him he still owes me…! Ah, a nice girl you got there…!", he shouted to Gabriel and pointed at Anna. Then he resumed his song and stumbling pace, totally ignoring the three people.

"What a pathetic loser", Anna said in disgust. "Now let's go find this officer, and let me guess that he's not going to be much different than this man…", she said and looked towards the drunkard that was slowly shrinking into the distance.

The three of them walked along the street and they soon found the tavern, which matched very well with the whole harbor scenery. It was small and ill-lit, and its few wooden tables and bar were occupied either by lonely men who were drinking silently or by small groups of men who were speaking and laughing loudly, often having whores seated in their laps. But when the three strangers entered the tavern all mouths were shut and all sets of eyes turned to the newcomers.

"Who is the officer of the harbor?", asked Gabriel, taking advantage of the sudden silence. He received no answer.

"Do you want to drink something, people?", the bartender asked them.

"No we don't. Now tell me, dammit, who among you is the officer?", Gabriel asked again angrily.

"What do you want him for? Who are you?", a man from the table in the corner asked.

"He will know when I find him", the hunter replied sharply.

"I am. Come over to my table…", the man invited them cautiously, and with that everybody seemed to forget the strangers' presence and everything returned to its former, loud and disturbing state.

Gabriel, Anna and Carl approached the lonely man and sat around the table. The officer eyed Anna thoroughly and she gave him a vicious look for his obscenity.

"So you're the officer, huh? Shouldn't you be at your post?", Gabriel started.

"I won't explain myself to you. Who are you and what the hell do you want?", he attacked them.

"Just a simple thing. When does the next ship sail off for Italy?", Gabriel asked him, trying to keep his temper.

"Why ask me?"

"Because you said you're the fucking harbor officer, that's why!", Gabriel snapped back furiously.

"I don't remember. Go look at the schedules," he replied dryly, apparently unaffected by Gabriel's attacking tone. "Hey! Goran! Get me one more of this!", he shouted to the bartender.

"Only when you pay for the one you're drinking now!", the bartender shouted back at the man.

"What do you mean go look at the schedules? Are you insane? Or have you drunk so much that there is nothing in your head but alcohol?", Anna attacked him in a very irritated tone.

"Sit back, lady. Here's the key. Go look for yourselves", the officer said and tossed her the keys. Then he got back to drinking, bothered that his glass had been emptied so soon and that the bartender wouldn't bring him another drink.

"That's not going to end like that! You're going to come with us!", Gabriel yelled at him and grabbed the man by his arm, pulling him to his feet.

"Fine, fine… Don't beat me", the officer tried to calm the hunter and freed himself from his grasp.

"I won't if you come to your senses!", Gabriel told him fumingly and the man finally complied with their request.

The four of them took the road to the office. The man managed to unlock the door after a few drunken attempts, and pushed it open. Then he lit a dusty oil lamp and pointed at the schedules.

"See? It wasn't hard to find!", he said ironically.

"Shut up!", Anna hissed at him and when he noticed the sword hanging from her belt he did shut up.

"Here it says that the first ship for Italy sails tomorrow at nine o'clock… Where are we going to spend the night, Van Helsing?", Carl wondered.

"V… Van Helsing?", the man asked in terror, the effect of the alcohol having disappeared at once.

"Yeah, Van Helsing. But I'm not going to kill you, don't worry. I've got more important things to care about", Gabriel joked on the man's fear. "And now tell me where we can find an inn", he continued.

"You're…What…? An inn? What? Ah… an inn, yes… Well there's one three streets from here… or is it four? No, no, it's three, three streets from here. And now I should be going, if you don't mind…", said the man, shaking from fear while cold sweat had appeared on his face.

"Not so fast", Gabriel grabbed him by his shoulder and stopped him. "You're not going to tell a soul about me or you won't like the consequences", he threatened him.

"No, no, I won't tell a soul! I swear! Now please let me go!", he begged the hunter.

Gabriel searched the man's face and gave him a cold, threatening look that froze the man's blood. He was such a coward; he would never speak a word about Van Helsing. So the hunter let go of him, and the man ran away as fast as he could.

"You scared the hell out of him, my love…", Anna commented, seeming strangely calm.

"Yeah… At least now I made sure he won't say anything about me to the authorities", he responded.

"Well, Van Helsing, you have just given truth to your wanted posters!", Carl scolded him.

"Yes indeed, thanks to our genius here who had so frivolously revealed my name!", he snapped.

"Oops, I'm sorry… Van Helsing, can we pass that up, please?"

"Whatever… We better go to the inn. Are you sure about the time the ship sails off?"

"Well, yes… The ship's name is Morning Star, by the way…"

Some time later the three companions found the inn. The receptionist was an old man who looked at them suspiciously, narrowing his already narrow eyes over his glasses.

"What are your names?", he demanded, and Gabriel hesitated for a moment.

"Valerious. Gabriel and Anna Valerious, and this is Father Carl. Are there any rooms for us?", Anna saved the game, but Gabriel and Carl gave her a strange look.

"Hmm…", the old man murmured and looked at them again. Then he unwillingly turned his hunched back to them and took out a key from a drawer. "Here. There's only one room with two single beds. It's upstairs. Suit yourselves. I guess you are only staying overnight…", he told them dryly and kept staring at them with an ugly frown on his face.

Carl nodded positively and took the key. Then the three of them went to the room they were given. It was small and not very clean, and the beds were narrow too.

"Why does everything seem so ghastly here…", Carl wondered. "It makes me think Transylvania was a better place…"

"Thank you, Carl!", Anna said in irritation.

"Oh, forgive me… It's just that fighting off lady vampires in the first minutes of my arrival to a town had never happened to me before… Well, maybe this place actually is better…", he comforted himself and Anna rolled her eyes in boredom.

They removed their dripping wet coats and sat on the beds, trying to rest a bit.

"I hope this frightful night will be over soon!", Anna wished.

"Yes me too… We need to be patient for a few hours", Gabriel responded and squeezed her hand gently so as to encourage her.

"It's freezing cold in here! The only good thing is that we are not getting any wetter…", Carl said and wrapped a blanket around himself.

"I could have never imagined that the first time I would get to the sea it would be like that… It's dreadful!", Anna complained.

"This is not the sea… This is just a dirty little town with unfriendly people. The sea itself is a beauty, you'll see", her lover comforted her and took her in his arms.

Anna closed her eyes, feeling much better in Gabriel's hug with soothing heat radiating from his body, and tried to sleep a bit. Carl managed to sleep a little too. Only Gabriel stayed awake all night long. He didn't mind not sleeping at all for a couple of days; apparently, he was more used to hostile conditions than his friends, and especially Carl. But the young friar was doing very well for his experience. In fact, Gabriel was amazed by both Anna and Carl's stamina and endurance. He had expected that for Anna, to an extent, since she had been a warrior all her life, but Carl was a surprise to him. It would seem that the clever friar had a hero hidden inside him.

Gabriel placed a soft kiss on Anna's forehead, who was now sleeping quietly in his hug. In the silence of the night, he focused all his senses to her light, rhythmical breathing, and it made him feel calmer. He let his fingers play with the beautiful curls of her hair, and as he breathed in her scent his mind traveled back to Transylvania and the night they shared their first kiss…


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's note:** _Hugs and kisses to all, and a bouquet of flowers to Elwyndra who keeps reviewing my story! Well, my semester exams are nearing threateningly and this means I have to study very much… But I'll do my best to keep my updating rate! Okay, about the chapter now, I think it's a rather weird one…or is it not? You'll tell me! I just let my imagination free! When you read it to the end, can you guess what it is implied? It's easy lol. The answer will come tomorrow! ;p_

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll follow their journey to Rome with all of its events, and finally we'll get to learn something about who he really is. All the way, there will be an exploration of his relationship with her_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _Yes, bla bla bla I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie, I only own my own characters and plot bla bla bla etc…_

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 11

The following day was nothing like the previous night. A glorious sun was shining and a gentle wind was blowing. The day was perfect for a ship to sail off.

The three travelers left the inn early in the morning and then visited the town's local market to buy some provisions for the rest of their journey. Soon they found themselves at the dock, and all sorts of people were already boarding the Morning Star. The ship was huge and her three tall masts seemed to penetrate the sky with pride, while her large hold stood stable and motionless on the water surface. The sea was calm and seagulls screeched dissonantly through the air. The ugliness of the previous night had disappeared and it was now replaced by liveliness and motion.

Gabriel, Anna and Carl followed the crowd aboard the ship. After some time and when everything was ready, the Morning Star left the harbor of the Dalmatian coast and set sail for Italy. She was to reach her destination the following day. The three friends chose to stand by the gunwale so that they would have perfect view of the sea. Gabriel looked at Anna and smiled to her lovingly.

"Well? What do you think now?", he asked her.

"It's beautiful…", she whispered and let her gaze wander over the vast sea that was spreading all around them, and back to the port that was gradually shrinking behind them.

The wind, which was now much stronger, filled the sails and pushed the ship patiently on her journey across the sea, causing her to follow a constant up-and-down movement, while she opened her way decisively through the dark waters, with waves splashing on both sides of the stem.

The passengers could feel the cold air on their faces, as well as the salty sprays of the sea, and many thought it would be better to move to the lower deck, while others simply enjoyed this revitalizing breath of the sea. Carl suggested that they should go inside because it was cold, but Anna wanted to get the most of it. A little later Carl met two Spanish monks that were returning to their homeland, and the three of them went to the lower deck where they could enjoy their spiritual conversation in peace. Anna and Gabriel were left alone to enjoy the sea as much as they liked. Suddenly a man approached them. He was in his middle fifties and looked very aristocratic and elegant.

"Is she your wife?", he asked Gabriel. The hunter, who hadn't noticed the man approaching them, turned to the man at once with a cautious look on his face.

"Excuse me?", he said.

"Forgive me for approaching you so without manner… But you have attracted my attention, and curiosity if you like, from the very first moment I saw you on the ship. Oh, but where are my manners again... Let me introduce myself. My name is Robert Williams and I am a doctor from London. It's a pleasure to meet your beautiful lady", he said and placed a kiss on Anna's hand, slightly bowing before her, "as well as you, Mr. Van Helsing…", he continued and extended his hand to Gabriel.

"Nice to meet you too, Dr. Williams, but do we know each other?", Gabriel asked while shaking hands with the man, his voice revealing some confusion. Anna gave him a worried look.

"Actually, we don't. But, if I may say, it is not to difficult for a man who knows how to observe to recognize you. There are… wanted posters of you in almost every street of London, especially after the first Dr. Jekyll incident… By the way, I should congratulate you on your success", the doctor said with a smile. Gabriel was taken aback.

"What are you saying, Dr. Williams? It cannot be that you knew about Dr. Jekyll", said Gabriel and raised an eyebrow to the older man.

"Oh but it can, it can… You see, Mr. Van Helsing, I happened to be a colleague of Dr. Jekyll during the first stages of his experimentations, before he was consumed by them. A sad fact, isn't it? To let yourself become a victim of your own deeds…", he said formally and stared intensively at Gabriel. "So, perhaps I'm one of the few people who do not consider you a murderer… If I may ask you, how is it that you knew about Dr. Jekyll? I believed I was the only one suspecting the truth behind him. Oh, I hope my question is not bringing you in a difficult position…", he continued in the same manner.

"Some things are not known to only one or two persons. Keep the outcome, Dr. Williams, and don't seek to dig in deeper", Van Helsing replied in a voice that revealed his unwillingness to continue the conversation.

"Forgive me for being curious, but it's my scientific nature to search for the deepest cause of things. I will accept your answer as it is, however, as I wish not to press you on the subject. A beautiful day for a journey across the sea, isn't it?", he decided to change the subject to something lighter.

"Yes indeed. Let's pray that the night will be good as well", Gabriel responded.

"Do you believe in God, Mr. Van Helsing?"

"I'm trying", he replied humorously and his answer made the doctor let out a laugh. "Do you not?", he continued.

"I would agree with you, but let me tell you that my experience has showed me that we can achieve nothing if we only depend on prayers… We must get our lives in our hands and take full responsibility of our actions. Don't expect heavenly sent gifts, my friends, for you shall receive none", the doctor said, expressing cold realism. Then he suddenly changed the subject again. "The sun is about to set, and an old man like me can feel the chill in his bones more intensively… I think I should go to the lower deck. Would you like to join me?", he offered.

Gabriel and Anna looked at each other for a moment. It was really getting colder, and both of them would like to have something to eat as well, so they nodded affirmatively and followed the doctor.

The lower deck was spacious enough for a ship, but it was well-crowded by now. Gabriel spotted Carl who was sitting at a table with the two monks, and moved towards him. The two others followed him.

"Good afternoon", the hunter greeted them. "May we join you?", he asked and put his hand on Carl's shoulder.

"Sure, Van Helsing, take your seats…", the young friar responded. "These are Fathers Manuel and Antonio", he introduced the monks and they smiled warmly. Van Helsing gave Carl a questioning look, and the friar nodded to him not to worry; the monks knew.

"And we are Dr. Williams, Anna and Gabriel", the hunter responded as they seated themselves around the table.

"It's a pleasure to meet you", the doctor started, obviously comfortable among people.

"The pleasure is ours", Antonio replied. "We are Spanish Franciscan monks, and we have been visiting some monasteries in Eastern Europe", he informed them. "Now we are returning to Spain, after of course we pay some visits to some Italian monasteries too."

"What brings you to Italy, Dr. Williams? You must be from England, if I am not mistaken", Manuel asked the doctor.

"Scientific research reasons… And also some family ones. My daughter is married to an Italian, and I will visit them too. She is about your age, Miss Anna", Robert commented and Anna gave him a small smile.

The six of them went on chatting for several hours, with the subjects varying from religious to scientific ones and from everyday life incidents to grand adventures. Carl and Dr. Williams found each other's thoughts about science very stimulating and they were happy to share a common interest. The two monks had once visited Romania and when Carl told them about Gabriel having killed Dracula they thanked God for it. Therefore, Gabriel could keep it a secret no more that he was an evil vanquisher, and the doctor's curiosity was at last satisfied. All in all, it seemed that it was a very pleasant journey, blessed with good weather conditions and some good company for the three travelers.

Suddenly the boards of the deck's floor started creaking rather too much and the ship's movement in the water became more intense and seemed to be gradually losing its rhythm.

"It looks like the weather is getting worse…", Gabriel remarked.

"It's still winter, what could we expect? We have been rather lucky till now. How about going up to see how bad the weather actually is? So that we will be prepared for what will follow", the doctor suggested and the others agreed with him. Apparently, more people made similar thoughts and as a result quite a few of the passengers moved to the upper deck.

The weather had got bad indeed. A wild, freezing cold wind was blowing now, threatening to rip the sails. Big waves formed in the sea and they beat the Morning Star mercilessly from all sides. The moon, which was full tonight, quickly disappeared behind heavy clouds. It wouldn't be long before the storm broke out. The crew of the ship was running around in frenzy, trying to drop the sails and remove the water that was splashing on the deck continuously. The sailors were shouting to the passengers to either help or stand out of their way. Most people were terrified, and the little children cried helplessly as their mothers held them tightly in their hugs. Before anybody had enough time for a further reaction, something outrageous happened. The sea was torn apart somewhere in the distance, and, with the sound of a swirling wind, a demonic figure rose from the hole in the water. It was an enormous male figure and reddish in color, with large wings, horrible deadly claws and an awful long tail instead of legs. The demon's eyes were blacker than the night itself.

"Holy shit…!", Gabriel muttered in astonishment, as the creature flew towards the ship.

"Oh my God…! Are those evil creatures endless? Because this one doesn't seem to me like an angel!", Carl exclaimed in fear.

"Dear Lord…", the doctor uttered, eyes wide in terror and surprise at the same time.

"Mortals! Hearken to me!", the demon shouted and his voice came directly from the dungeons of hell. Everybody stood frozen and speechless, as the demon with a movement of his arms lifted the ship from the water.

"Hold on to somewhere!", Gabriel shouted to the people.

"We are going to die!", cried Antonio, his cry mixed with the cries of the others.

"God, help us!", pleaded Anna and Manuel in one voice.

"You shall pay for disturbing My Night! You shall pay for the Avenger being among you! You shall pay for Dracula's Blood being among you! You shall Die tonight of my hand!", the demon yelled at the terrified people and then he carried the ship with an inhuman speed far away from the Adriatic Sea, far away from her destination, and into the wild Mediterranean Sea. "All of you shall Die! Evil, now you have your Vengeance!", the demon shrieked and threw the ship with tremendous force into the water. With that he ascended into the black sky where he stopped to revel in the poor people's agony for a while, and then dived backwards and into the water.

"Hold on the ratlines!", Gabriel shouted and his friends, as well as some other people who were able to keep some traces of reason in that very hour, did as he said.

The ship made a terrible sound as it crashed on the huge waves. Her masts broke and fell on the deck, causing her to break in three large pieces. Many ill-fated passengers fell directly into the sea as the ship was falling, and they were instantly killed by the crush on the water. Their hold on the ratlines made the fall less severe for those who had taken Gabriel's advice, and they survived the fall, but as the masts broke afterwards, they were forced to let go of the ratlines. Broken pieces of wood were everywhere, and the water was quickly flooding the ship, impatient to swallow it to its black, oblivious depths.

"Anna! Anna, are you alright?", Gabriel asked his lover in a dead-worried voice.

"Yes…Ahh, my leg!", she cried. The two of them were now holding on the gunwale, as this piece of the ship had inclined terribly and was sinking into the water.

"Van Helsing! Van Helsing! Can you hear me?", Carl shouted, holding onto a board and struggling with the waves.

"Carl!", Gabriel yelled back, relieved that his friend had made it too.

Soon the three of them were in the water as the ship sank completely and they held onto wooden boards. Very few people survived, and they were all at the same state now, exhausted and terrified to the bone, but their primitive instinct of survival was guiding them and keeping them alert to struggle for their lives.

Was it just a night that passed or was it days and days? No one could tell for sure. When the three friends regained their senses they found themselves stranded on a beach. Wooden pieces and human bodies were lying all over it.

"Van Helsing? Anna? Are you… are you alright?", Carl asked as he crawled towards his companions. Anna coughed and spat out some water; then she sat up and looked at Carl in relief.

"Ahh… Yes, yes…", she said and coughed again. Then she looked at Gabriel who was lying face down on the sand. "Gabriel?", she worried and shook him a bit. The hunter slowly regained consciousness and opened his eyes.

"Anna, Carl… Where the hell are we?", he wondered.

"God only knows…", the friar answered him.

Their clothes were ripped. What's more, Gabriel had lost his weapons and Anna's sword was gone with her belt.

"Mr. Van Helsing! Miss Anna!", a familiar voice called to them. "I could use some help here please!"

"It's the doctor… Where are the monks?", Gabriel asked.

"I have no idea. I think he said he needs help", Carl said.

"I can't walk! My leg hurts!", Anna complained.

"Let me see… Oh it's not broken, thank God! But you've twisted it badly…", Carl told her.

"Stay with her, Carl. I'm going over to the doctor to see what he wants."

Meanwhile, some of the people managed to come round. Others kept lying at their place, breathless and cold. Life had cruelly fled from them.

"At last! Mr. Van Helsing, please help me to save this young lady!"

"How?"

"Support her upper body off the sand so that I can wrap the bandages around!", he said and tore some cloth from the girl's dress to use as bandage.

Gabriel lifted her carefully, but before the doctor managed to react the woman coughed blood out of her mouth and then she lost her senses. Gabriel looked at the doctor in sorrow.

"She's… dead", the hunter said.

"No!", the doctor cried and checked at her pulse, but there was none. "I failed…", he whispered in misery.

"There are others here that need your help. Come on now doctor, let her be. We need to check who is alive…", the hunter urged him and he silently consented.

A few hours later, all the survivors of the demon's wrath had buried the dead and gathered together. From all the passengers of the Morning Star, only nine were alive now. Gabriel, Anna, Carl, Dr. Williams, an Italian girl of seventeen named Francesca, Luka, who was a Serbian merchant, a crew member called Matteo, Mrs. Schaffer, and Antonio, the Spanish monk. He told Carl that Manuel was hit on the head by something and he drowned; Antonio wasn't able to save him and his grief was unbearable. Now all the survivors were sitting around a fire they managed to light using the broken wooden pieces.

"Does anybody know where we are?", the merchant asked.

"Somewhere in the shores of north Africa, I imagine…", the doctor replied.

"Oh God! What are we going to do now?", Mrs. Schaffer panicked.

"Rest tonight, and tomorrow leave the beach and move to the inland", Gabriel told her in a steady voice. The woman let out a sigh and then lay down and tried to sleep. Francesca and Matteo followed her example; they were more than exhausted.

"Oh, Van Helsing, guess what! I found your hat, miraculously!", Carl said happily.

"Thanks, Carl."

"Can you believe what happened?", Anna asked her close friends. "What was that creature?"

"He is a demon… There are very few references of him in the books, and I can't recall his name. Actually he's a demon of the sea, and he's very powerful, but he's allowed to attack ships only once a year, when the January moon is full…", the friar informed them.

"Damn our bad luck! How much worse can things get?", Gabriel said in anger.

"He said something about the Avenger and Dracula's Blood, didn't he?", Anna asked, recalling the events of that horrific night. "What did he mean?"

"I don't know… But I remember from what I have read that this demon hated Dracula… He hated him because Dracula was given a new life, while he was denied it and he was condemned to exist the way we saw him…", Carl replied in a low voice.

"Oh no…", Gabriel suddenly said in distress.

"What is it, Gabriel?", Anna asked him.

"I think I know what he meant."


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's note:** _Hi! As promised, I updated! I'm sorry for this chapter is not very long, but I was too tired to write more, and I also liked to end it where I ended it! I have borrowed some lyrics for this chapter which I considered very fitting to my story! Go on and read, and tell me what you think!!! (Many "goodies" to follow in the next chapters!)_

_Elwyndra and AnnaVanHelsing1887, thank you__, oh so much, my faithful reviewers! And you, people who read this story, come on, be kind and review! Please? Pleaseeeee??? Thanks._

_And now I better post the chapter before I collapse from exhaustion! ;p lol_

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll follow their journey to Rome with all of its events, and finally we'll get to learn something about who he really is. All the way, there will be an exploration of his relationship with her_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _I don't own Van Helsing (sadly) or anything related to the movie. I don't own the lyrics displayed in this chapter; they belong to Nevermore (song: Narcosynthesis, album: Dead Heart, in a Dead World); I only own the characters I invent and the plot of this story and I keep full rights of them._

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 12

"Gabriel, tell us, what do you think the demon's words mean?", Anna asked him anxiously.

"He spoke about Dracula's Blood being on the ship, among the people, didn't he? Well…", Gabriel said and paused for a moment, thinking twice before uttering what was in his mind. "Dracula was the son of Valerious the Elder, your ancestor…", he continued reluctantly.

"Everybody knows that! So?", she asked worriedly, half suspecting what was about to follow.

"Anna, you know that you and Dracula had a common ancestor. Therefore you are of the same bloodline… I'm afraid the Dracula's Blood is you, my love…", Gabriel told her in voice full of concern and took her hands in his. Anna lowered her eyes, contemplating what she had just heard. After a while she looked at Gabriel straight in the eye and she spoke.

"Even if it is so, what does it matter? Dracula is vanquished and we are not threatened by the demon now and at least for a year more!", she said, trying to find some reason in the whole situation.

"Yes, but… I can't be sure, but since Carl said that this demon hated Dracula, it's possible that he hates his bloodline too, you included. Maybe he'll forge alliances with other creatures of the darkness to come against you, I don't know… And there's something else too."

"What?"

"The Avenger he mentioned… The demon tried to kill all people on the ship because the Avenger was among them. As you can understand, he was meant to be an Avenger against evil…"

"Oh my God! Van Helsing, that's you!", Carl exclaimed and brought his hand to his mouth.

"Yes, all most probably, I am him. But if the reference of the demon had only been about me I wouldn't care much. It's the fact that he had also mentioned Dracula's Blood that concerns me… See, it goes without saying that an evil creature like him hates anybody who avenges evil. But I fear that the fact that we are connected to each other, I mean you and me, Anna, makes things worse for both of us."

"Let him gather all evil creatures against us, I don't care! It won't be the first time I will fight monsters…", Anna tried desperately to encourage her friends and herself as well.

"I pray this will never happen… And maybe I was wrong in my interpretation of the demon's words, after all."

"No, Van Helsing, as much as we would like things to be different, whatever you said makes perfect sense. Do you see any other possible explanations? For I do not", Carl killed the last faint hopes that existed in Anna's soul.

"We need to keep our eyes open. But, frankly, I don't think we are in danger of him now. It will take him quite some time to organize an attack against us because he will depend on others", Van Helsing commented.

"You sound correct… Oh I'm so tired, and everything is so wrong! And just think, our journey to Italy had started so well… and look where we are now, what has happened to us!", Anna complained.

"Anna, I'm deeply sorry… I never meant anything bad to happen to you… I think you're paying far too big a price for choosing to be with me, and it's not fair", the hunter said in sorrow and guilt.

"Gabriel, Gabriel! Don't you dare feel guilty for anything! It is not our fault if there's too much evil in this world, and its creatures haunt us! What we should always do is make a stand and fight them back!", Anna said bravely, truly speaking from her heart. Gabriel said nothing; he only looked at her sadly, the hint of guilt still in his hazel eyes. Anna smiled to him, and he placed a kiss on her forehead.

"You better rest now. You are so tired, and your leg is injured…", he told her lovingly.

"Yes, I know… I will rest. Will you not?"

"In a while", he answered her.

Anna and Carl lay down on the cold sand and tried to warm themselves by wrapping their coats around them as well as they could. Everyone was already sleeping around the fire that was burning its path of smoke into the sky. Absolute silence reigned, and it was disturbed only by the splashing of the waves.

Gabriel looked around at the sleeping figures and then over at the black sea. Were they as much helpless as they seemed? Had God forsaken those poor people that had nothing to do with evil? And what about all the rest that had lost their lives for nothing? How could God let such unfair, cruel and tragic things happen? Where was His mercy? Questions, questions, questions… Never-ending questions that insisted on tormenting Gabriel's mind and soul. The hunter instinctively brought his hands together and lowered his head so that his forehead came and rested on them. Then he started a silent, inner prayer. For the first time in his life he was praying to God with fervor. For the first time in his life he felt so intense the necessity to ask for God's help and advice. Would God listen to his prayer for once?

Gabriel prayed and prayed for hours, his eyes wide shut, his mind opening itself to God, his soul desperately seeking for a connection with the heavens. He prayed for Anna and for Carl, he prayed for the poor survivors, and for those who had died he pleaded God to have mercy on their souls. He prayed for anyone but himself; Gabriel's prayer was the purest expression of love, care and selflessness.

Then something totally unexpected and unnatural happened. While Gabriel was still praying with all the power of his heart, an unearthly, extremely bright white light descended from above and showered the hunter. The light had a strange effect on the sleeping people and everyone was roused at once. Gabriel stood speechless before the miracle, and now eight sets of eyes were locked on him, mouths gaping and minds wondering, but nobody was able to pronounce even a single word. Then suddenly the heavenly light expanded and glowed over everybody. At an instant, they ceased feeling hungry, thirsty, tired or cold anymore, and their souls were filled with courage, determination and hope. The bright white light had brought everybody to an ecstatic condition, forbidding them to speak and keeping them at the same time participants and spectators in the miracle that was happening upon them. But this was not all.

Slowly the light left the rest and came to shine upon Gabriel again. Then, like an invisible hand, a ray of the light swirled on the sand in front of the hunter and it started creating glowing shapes on it. No, they weren't simple, meaningless shapes; they were letters, and the letters formed words, and the words phrases, until the heavenly message was completed. The white light blazed upon Gabriel once more, and then it ascended into its sacred source, disappearing from the people's eyes. Gradually, they came back from their in-trance state, and they slowly began to realize what had just happened.

"That was… that was a miracle… a sign from God!", Carl managed to say and looked at Gabriel.

"By the powers, I will never question the existence of God again in my life!... Who are you, Mr. Van Helsing?", Dr. Williams asked in astonishment and awe.

"You're a man of God! You can save us!", Antonio exclaimed.

"Gabriel… Gabriel, my love, are you alright?", Anna worried and approached Gabriel. She put her hand on his cheek and caressed him softly. Gabriel closed his eyes and moved his head slightly, in an attempt to realize the effect of his prayer. Then he opened his eyes again and looked directly at the words on the sand that were glowing before him.

"Look…", he whispered and pointed weakly at the words, still shaken by the miracle.

On the sand, the heavenly light had written the following.

I SHALL BRING AVENGE

Turn my blood to sand

Lives fall through the hour glass and grow cold

What are you searching for?

Turn my dirt to gold

Time the healer the great concealer

Please salvage my soul

"What do you think it is?", Anna asked her companions.

"I think it's a message from the heavens, but it doesn't make much sense…", Carl replied.

"It doesn't make sense because it's not supposed to make sense", Gabriel stated in a strong and steady voice. "It's a riddle. A riddle for me."


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's note:** _Here I am again, with a new chapter for you! I liked this one, and I really hope you will like it as well! Note that all the historical information given in this chapter is correct. I also make the acceptance that Gabriel was trained as a monster hunter "after he was found crawling at the steps of St. Peter"._

_Elwyndra__ and Remember, thank you very much for your reviews! You make me so happy:)_

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll follow their journey to Rome with all of its events, and finally we'll get to learn something about who he really is. All the way, there will be an exploration of his relationship with her_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _Yes, bla bla bla I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie, I only own my own characters and plot bla bla bla etc…_

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 13

"A riddle, Mr. Van Helsing? Why would God give you a riddle?", Dr. Williams asked.

"I don't know… Maybe He wants me to understand something, to get a message through it", Gabriel replied.

"My brothers, it is not right to question God's will. If He chose to send this riddle to Mr. Van Helsing, then He had a purpose", Antonio stated.

"But what is this purpose?", the doctor wondered, curious of nature as he was.

"Well, we will only know after we have solved the riddle, and I don't think this is going to happen tonight now is it?", Carl commented on Robert's question.

"Yes, Carl, you are right, it is not going to happen tonight. We'll have plenty of time the next days to try and solve it… It doesn't seem to me like an easy riddle, however", Gabriel said.

"Look, the sun will rise in a couple of hours. Why don't we better talk about what we'll do next? We need to get off this beach…", Luka suggested, shaking the people back to reality.

"Ah yes, Mr. Luka is right! We must leave this horrible place! I will not stay another night here! It's dreadful!", Mrs. Schaffer exclaimed, overreacting as usual.

"Don't panic, Mrs. Schaffer… As soon as the sun comes up we will move to the inland", Anna tried to calm the older woman, who let out a sigh of despair. Apparently, she was the one who was the least affected by the light's power.

"But where will we go? Who will help us here? And we have no money too…", Francesca expressed her worries reluctantly, still unable to adapt to the fact that she was now without her parents and among such extraordinary people that God would speak to.

"Ah, Miss Francesca, don't worry… We can always hope that people of God will help us here… We will take care of you", Carl told the girl, trying to soothe her.

"Thank you…", she told him and smiled faintly.

"Were you traveling alone on that ship?", the friar asked her.

"No, I was with my parents… We had taken a little trip, but…", Francesca replied and her voice broke. Tears appeared in her beautiful green eyes.

"I'm sorry… But now you have some new friends here you can count on", Carl tried to encourage her.

"Thank you, again", she said and wiped the tears away.

A couple of hours later the odd group left the beach and took the way to the inland. After walking for quite long, they reached a city that looked quite large and rather Islamic in architecture. As they entered the city, people in both eastern and western attire were to be found in the streets, and they all looked at the castaways with curiosity; in addition, the friends could hear Arabic and also English being spoken.

"But what is this place? It looks strange, but beautiful!", Francesca said in amazement.

"It looks somewhat familiar…", the doctor commented, trying to remember why the city looked familiar to him.

"If I am not mistaken, we are in Egypt. And this is Alexandria", Van Helsing gave an answer to those who were wondering.

"Yes, yes, Van Helsing, I think you are right! And the English people we see, they are here because Egypt is under the control of the English and also the French, since… since 1876, I think", Carl commented.

"True", the doctor confirmed Carl's words.

"But you, Van Helsing, how did you know this city is Alexandria?", the friar asked his friend.

"I've been trained here as well. And I know a place where we can ask for help, but I cannot really tell how far we are from it. I've only been to this part of the city once or twice. We better ask someone", the hunter said and then he walked over to two old Arabs who were chatting vividly outside a small house.

"Excuse me… Could you please tell me how far from here the Citadel of Qaitbay is?", he asked the old men politely.

"Not too far, not too close", one of them answered Gabriel. "Walk north and east, and you will find it. Are you not English?", he asked in curiosity and looked at Gabriel all over, intrigued by the hunter's strange clothes.

"I'm looking for a friend here. Thanks for your help", Gabriel responded, avoiding answering the man's question.

"Allah be with you…", he wished the hunter and then the two men resumed their conversation.

"Gabriel, where are we going?", Anna asked him as they stared walking in a quicker pace now.

"To the Citadel of Qaitbay", he answered her laconically.

"The Citadel of Qaitbay… Yes, yes, I should have thought it myself! We are fortunate in our misfortune to be in Alexandria!", Carl said happily.

"Will anybody explain to me what's going on?", Anna asked quite irritated now. Furthermore, her leg was still hurting somewhat, and she didn't like Gabriel establishing a fast pace.

"Listen to me, everybody", Carl started and the people came to walk closer to him. "What I will now say you must keep for yourselves, and not make it know to the public, alright?", he asked of them and the people nodded affirmatively, curious and excited about what Carl would tell them. "Well, in the Citadel of Qaitbay, or the Fort of Qaitbay as it also called, there is a branch of the Holy Order…"

"The Holy Order!", the doctor exclaimed in surprise.

"Well yes… Here it is almost like it is in the Vatican, in St. Peter's church. I am a friar there, and Van Helsing works for the Holy Order", Carl informed them and pointed at Gabriel, who looked back over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow to the friar.

"And what does Mr. Van Helsing do?", Francesca asked innocently.

"I vanquish evil", the hunter answered her question dryly and the girl was taken aback a little.

"If you let me go on with the story, as you may already know Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great around 334 B.C., and its lighthouse, the Pharos of Alexandria, was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world… Actually the citadel of Qaitbay was built on the ruins of the ancient Pharos. Alexandria is called by the natives Al-Iskandariya, as Alexander himself was called Al-Iskandar by the people of the east…"

"Put an end to the history lesson, Carl", Van Helsing complained.

"Anyway, Alexandria and the Citadel itself were bombarded by the English fleet in 1882 A. D.…"

"Sadly", the doctor intervened.

"…and the Citadel was partially destroyed. During the last years it has been rather neglected, and the Order can act in peace there now. This is why I told you we are lucky to be in Alexandria. We can get help here", Carl concluded.

"Jesus, I can't believe I'm involved in this adventure! Everything sounds amazing!", Matteo cried out, unable to contain his excitement.

"I reckon we all feel the same, Mr.…?"

"Mancini. Matteo Mancini."

"Thank you, Mr. Mancini. You see, you are not the only one here who is amazed to be involved in such an extraordinary, ehm, series of events. But, now that I am reconsidering it, myself being an Englishman might offer us an advantage here…", the doctor said.

"An advantage?", Mrs. Schaffer wondered, for once keeping her voice in a normal and non-panicked tone.

"We could ask the English authorities here for help, couldn't we? I am an English citizen and my rights are supposed to be reserved here, after all!", he said proudly.

"Exactly, Mr. Williams! You are an English citizen, but nobody else is!", Anna snapped, stressing the word "you". "What makes you think the authorities would help a bunch of people from different countries? And we are here without permission! Maybe we get in trouble if we contact them!", the princess presented her arguments.

"Putting it that way, I will have to agree with you, Miss Anna…", Robert drew back.

"At least we can be sure that the people of the Order will help us. We are lucky that Gabriel is here…", she said and took Gabriel's hand. He smiled to her in response.

After some hours of walking and now it being midday, the group finally reached the Citadel of Qaitbay. Despite its destroyed parts in the north and western facades, it was a fine piece of architecture. The main building was square, with a round tower on each corner.

"Well I'm glad I see no guards here…", Carl said in relief.

"Why should anyone care to guard an almost destroyed building?", Luka commented.

"Everybody follow me now. We will go to the lowest floors", Gabriel told them and they walked behind him silently. After climbing down several flights of stairs and after crossing a few corridors they reached a big wooden door that was closed. "From what I remember, this room is the research one. They perform experiments here, so be careful", Gabriel said and pushed the door open.

"Research? Hmm… interesting", Robert whispered to himself.

The room was quite large, with many wooden tables inside. Groups of monks from all the religions of the world were gathered around them and they were experimenting with glowing liquids and strange machinery. Some were arguing loudly about the way an experiment should be performed, others were discussing the results of another, and some were reading quietly from books. Then Gabriel spotted a familiar face in the room. It was an elderly monk from the Eastern Orthodox Church.

"Father Nicholaus! How is it going with your experiments? Any success over all these years?", Gabriel called cheerfully at the elderly monk who was guiding the process of an experiment. At the sound of the young man's voice, father Nicholaus lifted his head and turned to Gabriel.

"Van Helsing? Oh, Van Helsing, my good son!", he said and walked up to Gabriel. "I'm so happy to see you again, after all these years!", the monk told him and hugged him warmly. "What brings you here? I see you have come with friends."

"Yes, father. We need some help", Gabriel told him quietly. The respect for the elderly monk was more than present in the hunter's voice.

"Of course, my son, we will help you in any way we can. But I see that you all are tired and need to rest, am I not right?"

"Yes, father… By the way I am Carl, a friar in Vatican."

"The Holy Order?"

"Yes…"

"And you, my child?", he said turning to Antonio.

"I am a Franciscan monk in Malaga, father", Antonio replied in respect.

After everybody had introduced themselves to father Nicholaus, the elderly monk called a young friar and told him to give rooms to their guests.

"Have some rest now, and you are welcome in the dining room for supper at around seven o'clock", father Nicholaus told them and after thanking him they followed the young friar to the rooms. The building was not too big, therefore a room would have to be shared by two persons. Gabriel and Anna explained to the friar that they were a couple and that they would rather be together. The friar was hesitant at first, but the two lovers soon managed to convince him. Carl would share a room with Antonio, Francesca and Mrs. Schaffer another, and so would Luka and Matteo. Dr. Williams was lucky enough to get a room for just himself.

Later and after they were given some new clothes and water to clean themselves, they all gathered together around the dining table. The monks welcomed their guests and then one of them said a prayer. The supper was plain but good. Afterwards, father Nicholaus invited them to join him to the library, so that they could talk without being disturbed. Mrs. Schaffer and Luka politely refused the invitation, claiming exhaustion and an intense need for sleep, but the rest willingly followed the elderly monk. First, Gabriel, Anna and Carl narrated their story of Dracula's vanquishment, and everybody listened with gaping mouths, except for Antonio and Robert who had already heard that very story while they were on the ship. Then the group told father Nicholaus their unbelievable story of their sea tragedy caused by that demon in every detail, and in the end the old monk's face took a thoughtful expression.

"So you got a riddle?", he asked while scratching his long white beard.

"Yes…"

"By all means that was a sign from the heavens. But have you got any clues to the riddle's solution yet?"

"No, I'm afraid not. I thought about it a bit, while coming here to the Citadel, but it doesn't make much sense to me", he answered in disappointment.

"Don't lose your hopes, my brave son. If God gave you this riddle, it means that you are able to solve it. And of course we are always here to help you. Now could you please write it down?", he asked Gabriel and gave him a yellowish sheet of paper.

Gabriel took the paper, and after thinking for a while, he wrote down the riddle that the heavenly light had given him the night before.

I SHALL BRING AVENGE

Turn my blood to sand

Lives fall through the hour glass and grow cold

What are you searching for?

Turn my dirt to gold

Time the healer the great concealer

Please salvage my soul

Then he placed the paper on the table and everyone came and sat closer so that they would be able to look at the written lines.

"Is the first line a title to it or something? Because it's in capital letters…", Anna wondered.

"My friends, have you noticed that this first line is grammatically incorrect? It says "I shall bring avenge". The mistake is that the verbs "bring" and "avenge" are in a row. Why doesn't it say "I shall bring vengeance", which would be the grammatically correct one?", the doctor remarked.

Silence fell to the room. The doctor was right and everybody knew that. But no one could understand why the heavenly message should contain such a mistake.

"Look, let's leave this aside for now, and let's go on with the next lines. Maybe we'll be able to understand something from them…", Anna suggested.

"Well, the third line is a bit easier than the rest… I think the question is addressed to you, Van Helsing. It refers to-"

"Yes, Carl, I know", the hunter interrupted the friar and frowned, clearly bothered that people other than his close friends would be learning things he considered too personal.

"Maybe we shouldn't discuss this riddle, I mean all of us…", Francesca uttered, having noticed Gabriel's facial expression, and proved herself cleverer than the others thought she was. "I think the riddle was given to Mr. Van Helsing, and perhaps it contains some references that are personal… It wouldn't be proper for all of us to know", she continued and everybody was looking at her now with interest and admiration. Gabriel smiled to her a bit, as if he wanted to thank her for saying these things.

"The young lady has a correct point indeed…", Robert commented.

"Yes, it would be such an unforgivable impropriety from our side to interfere with your personal matters! Please forgive us, Mr. Van Helsing", Antonio told the hunter and stood up from his chair.

"Maybe we should leave you alone, then", Robert said and stood as well. Francesca and Matteo did the same. "Shall you need me, I will be in the next room, possibly reading some book", he told them and then exited the room. The two others wished them goodnight and good luck with the riddle, and then they went to their rooms.

The next few hours passed quickly for the four people who had engaged in trying to solve the riddle. Numerous assumptions were made, disagreements talked through, opinions expressed and arguments presented, but the result of all these was merely close to zero. All of them were tired, Anna had a headache, and Carl suggested that they stop for tonight and continue tomorrow. Everybody finally agreed, with Van Helsing being rather unwilling to abandon trying. Father Nicholaus asked of them to remind him tomorrow to tell them some things about that sea demon, and then he put the books that were scattered on the table back to their places on the shelves.

As they were about to leave the room, a rushing Dr. Williams came in, holding a piece of paper filled with scribbles and ink blots in his right hand.

"Dr. Williams, what is wrong? Are you alright?", the elderly monk worried.

"If I am alright? Ha! I have never been better! I have never been more proud of myself!", the English doctor exclaimed triumphantly and waved his paper before their astonished faces. "My friends, I have the answer to the first line!"


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's note:** _Hi all! I was well inspired today, and I hope this will show through the chapter! Mind that there is a sex scene. What? My wicked Muse (and my twisted mind) commanded me to write it down! The fanfic is rated M after all for this very reason ;p Okay anyway, the solution of the riddle is starting to reveal itself! Hope you enjoy the chapter, and good reading:)_

_I publicly thank my reviewers __**AnnaVanHelsing1887**__ and __**Elwyndra, **__**and to all the REST that read the story but DON'T give me reviews, you better change your minds quickly because I might change mine and don't post another chapter until I get reviews from you people!**__ Would you let me do something so unfair to my faithful readers?_

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll follow their journey to Rome with all of its events, and finally we'll get to learn something about who he really is. All the way, there will be an exploration of his relationship with her_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _No, I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie and you know that. I also don't own the lyrics displayed in this chapter for they belong to Nightwish (song: Ever Dream, album: Highest Hopes-The Best of Nightwish). I only own my own characters and plot._

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 14

"Hey, doctor, calm down and tell us what you mean. Did you really manage to figure out the first line of the riddle?", Gabriel asked Robert in a voice full of anticipation and hope.

"Yes, Mr. Van Helsing, I think I did. Let me show you", he replied and moved to the table where he placed the paper he was holding. The others came beside him quickly. "See?", he said and pointed to a scribbled note on the paper. "The first line is nothing more than your name, Mr. Van Helsing! It was a simple anagram…", he explained to them.

"An anagram? How did you find out, Dr. Williams?", father Nicholaus asked in astonishment.

"The power of observation, my friends, the power of observation! You can check the letters in the phrase "I shall bring avenge" for they are exactly the same forming your name, Mr. Van Helsing. And it would seem that the mistake this phrase contains is explained now", the doctor continued.

"Yes… the letters of Gabriel's name should be fitting to the message and its meaning…", Anna commented thoughtfully.

"This is awesome! How haven't I figured that myself?", Carl wondered.

"I must say I'm amazed… And thank you, Dr. Williams, for your help. Your suggestion about the first line makes sense; it addresses the riddle clearly to me, which connects to the fact that the riddle had appeared in front of me, and… and heavens give me the role of an avenger, maybe? An avenger against evil?", Gabriel said.

"You said it yourself, Van Helsing", the friar told him.

"Ah, it's good that we now know the meaning of the first line, but this still leaves us with nothing as it is. I mean, we all knew Gabriel is some kind of an avenger, since he fights evil, didn't we? This first line reveals nothing we don't know…", Anna remarked.

"I have the feeling that the next lines will reveal more things, Anna", he told her and looked at her lovingly. He had obviously regained his hopes of discovering who he was after the success with the first line of the riddle. "But we were on our way to our rooms, weren't we? We better leave the rest of the riddle for tomorrow… I have started feeling somewhat tired myself", Gabriel concluded.

"Well, you are right… We should not stay up all night long", the Englishman agreed and then wished goodnight to the rest and retired. Soon the others did the same, and everybody went up to their rooms to take some rest after this very trying day.

Gabriel and Anna were pleased to have some privacy again after all these days. Both of them felt happy for they now knew the beginning of the solution to the riddle, and they would certainly continue their trying to solve it to the end with all their hearts.

"It seems Dr. Williams is a clever man…", Anna commented while untying her corset.

"Yes indeed… Thanks to him, we made a start", Gabriel responded as he undressed and got into the bed, pulling the covers up. There was also a divan in the room that could be used as a bed, but the two lovers preferred to share the narrow bed. "Come here now, my love…", he invited her longingly.

Anna wore a simple nightgown that reached just above her knees, leaving her shins to Gabriel's lustful gaze. The princess smiled to the hunter, and then she hid her body under the covers, and lay down with her back against his chest. Gabriel slid his arm around her waist, holding her close.

"Mmm…", Anna murmured in drowsy delight and placed her delicate hand upon his strong one.

Gabriel placed a soft kiss on her neck and breathed in her scent. Feeling her tempting body against his, her beautiful back against his chest and the curve of her butt against his groin, made him forget his fatigue and grow hot with desire. He slowly pressed his body a bit harder against hers, in an attempt to arouse the same desire in her. Anna's response was another sweet murmur, and she caressed her lover's hand softly. Gabriel withdrew his hand from her waist, after enjoying her light caress, and he placed it on the curve of her hip where he began to slowly stroke her by moving his hand from her waist to her upper thigh and vice versa.

"Anna… I've missed you…", he started in a deep and seductive voice and nibbled on her earlobe a bit.

"Mmm… Gabriel… I… I can feel you…", she responded and pressed her butt against his hardening manhood.

Gabriel let out a growl as he felt her pressing against him, and then he moved his hand up her right side until he reached her breasts. Through the soft material, he let his hand fondle with the soft flesh, cupping her right breast and squeezing it gently while teasing the nipple until it grew hard. He moved his hand between her breasts, and the feeling of her hot skin made the hunter even hungrier to make love to her. Anna was letting Gabriel take the initiatives and at his every touch she shivered and gave out moans of pleasure.

"Anna… I want you… I want you so much…", he told her lustfully and lowered his face to kiss her neck and shoulder. His hand left her breasts and went back to her hips, and it began to slowly pull her nightgown up, as he instinctively pressed his hard penis against her firm round butt. Anna moaned again, louder this time, and parted her legs somewhat, in response to his feverish passion.

"Gabriel my love… you make me crave for your touch… don't prolong this too much please!", she begged him and spread her legs even more.

Gabriel pulled her nightgown to her waist, and let his hand roam hungrily from her thigh to her breasts, sending waves of shivering pleasure through Anna's body and making the hot spot between her legs wetter and more inviting. Then he removed her underwear and placed his fingers at her entrance. Anna moaned in pleasure and excitement, and she lifted her butt towards him so as to give him better access to her hot and wet passion. After teasing the sensitive folds and throbbing bud for a while, Gabriel decided that it was time to get rid of his sleeping pants and move on to the main course. And so he did, and now he held Anna's right thigh as he urged her to spread her legs more so that it would be more convenient for her to take him inside her. Anna not only spread her legs more but when she felt the tip of his penis in her entrance, she got to her knees, impatient for him to fill her up. Gabriel on his side got very excited by her response, and thrust inside her forcefully at once, now him being on his knees too and holding Anna by her hips. His powerful thrust made Anna cry out in pleasure and growing passion. Gabriel let out a growl and started thrusting in and out of her hard, the softness of the previous times they had made love being absent now and having been replaced by a wild passion. At a moment and as he was nearing his orgasm, Gabriel's thrusts became violently strong, and Anna cried out. But it was not a cry of pleasure.

"Ahh!... Gabriel, Gabriel stop!", she begged him, but he was very close to his orgasm to stop and he ignored her completely, continuing thrusting into her with increasing force. Just as he reached his ejaculation, Anna cried again and released herself from the grasp of his hands causing him to spill his sperm on the bed. Then she immediately grabbed a blanket and ran over to the divan in front of the eyes of a dumbfounded Gabriel.

"Anna…?", he muttered. "Anna why did you do this?"

"Me? You ask me? Ask yourself!", she yelled to him angrily and covered herself with the blanket. She was glad to still wear her nightgown. Then she brought her knees to her chest and lowered her head.

"Anna… What did I do? Speak to me, please!"

"You hurt me!", she shouted with tears in her eyes. "I begged you to stop but you only cared about your own satisfaction! Is this your respect for me? You are so selfish, and you're a liar!", she burst out and then started crying, her shoulders shaking under her sobs. Gabriel was shocked.

"Anna, my love, please look at me…", he started softly and approached her.

"Leave me alone! I don't want to talk to you!"

"Please… I'm sorry. Come to the bed now… Please, Anna!", Gabriel begged her once more and knelt next to the divan. He tried to caress her hair but Anna pushed his hand away.

"I told you to leave me alone! You go to the bed! I will stay here! Go away! Go away!"

Gabriel didn't insist any more. He got back on his feet, and after pulling off the dirty sheet and throwing it on a chair he got into the bed and covered himself with the remaining blanket. He saw that he had hurt Anna, and now he was hurt as well, and it was all his fault. He had regretted succumbing to his passion completely and ignoring Anna's cries of pain, and now she had called him selfish and a liar. She was right, wasn't she? Or was she overreacting? Gabriel wasn't able to think clearly, and he pressed his mind to try and think… Much time he spent awake, carefully listening to Anna's silent sobs until she fell asleep, tired and hurt as she was. Gabriel's heart was aching; she had shunned him away and refused to talk to him. These thoughts troubled the hunter and kept him from sleeping for many hours. When finally exhaustion took over him it was almost dawn; he fell asleep while a tear was drying on his cheekbone.

A few minutes after Gabriel had fallen asleep, Anna heard a voice calling her. Was she dreaming or was it real?

"Anna… Anna… Wake up", the voice told her.

Anna slowly opened her eyes and turned her face to the direction the voice was coming from. What she saw was amazing. A wonderful blue light had entered the small room and its rays radiated all over the place, making everything else practically invisible; it was only the princess and the bright light in front of her. Anna stared in wonder and in awe as a young woman slowly appeared from the deep in the bright center of the light. The woman had long, ebony black hair and she wore the long robes of an ancient Egyptian priestess.

"You…! You are… you are the Dark Witch!", Anna exclaimed breathlessly.

"My name is Isetnofret, Anna. Listen to me carefully for I have little time", the priestess required and Anna complied with her request. "Vandul, the demon who attacked you in the sea, is trying, and unfortunately succeeding in forging an evil alliance against you and Gabriel. I am battling him, but I am afraid my power is not enough to hold him back for much longer. You have to solve the riddle and go to Rome as soon as possible, if you wish to be saved from his wrath and menace."

"Why are you telling me this? Why are you helping us?"

"Because you saved me. Gabriel saved me. He gave me back my soul that I had lost so carelessly thousands of years ago… And I am helping you because you have a sacred love for each other, a love that comes only once in a thousand lifetimes… I too had loved once, but he was taken from me violently. I lost my mind and I became a priestess of the darkness, wishing to enjoy an undying youth. This I paid with my soul and I would be damned to the eternity, had it not been for Gabriel who saved me. You do not know who the man that you have by your side is, Anna. And you do not realize the love he has for you."

"What do you mean? Who is Gabriel? And the riddle, do you know the solution to it?"

"I do, but I am not allowed to reveal it to you for it is your God's will that you solve the riddle on your own. But you must hurry. The demon's allies will attack in disguise, and they will attack soon. Only in Rome you will be safe."

"Please, give me a clue to it if you really want to help us! Please, Isetnofret, please!"

"The Blood on the Cross", the ancient priestess said, and then she disappeared in the same miraculous way she had appeared.

The blue light faded away and everything in the room looked again as they did before Isetnofret's appearance. Anna's eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light that was coming through the small window. It was dawn, and this was the light of the sun. Anna found herself standing in the middle of the room, facing the small window. She was still wearing her nightgown, and her blanket was tossed away, as she quickly got up at the calling of Isetnofret. So it wasn't a dream, Anna thought. It was a vision, and it was as real as her own flesh and beating heart.

Keeping everything the priestess had told her in her mind, Anna turned to the bed and looked at Gabriel's sleeping figure. The blanket was carelessly pulled up to his waist, and he was slightly turned to her side, one arm reaching further then the narrow mattress, while the other was resting on his stomach. His face was turned to her, with a few random strands of his hair on it. His breathing was quiet and he looked peaceful, but as Anna approached him she noticed that he had a rather sad look on his face. She carefully sat on the edge of the bed, and with a feathery move of her delicate fingers she removed the hair strands from his face. Anna admired his features; she could have never imagined that a man could be as handsome as Gabriel was. Then she suddenly noticed a dry tear on his cheekbone, and her heart broke. She realized that Gabriel was not selfish and a liar, as she had called him a few hours ago, because the tear on his cheek was proof of his sincere, and now broken, heart. Anna had hurt him by pushing him away, by refusing to speak to him, and now she knew it. Tears emerged to her eyes, and they were tears of regret. This time she didn't try to fight them back as she usually did, but let them run down her cheeks freely… While silently crying, she reached with her hand and softly traced Gabriel's cheekbone with her fingers, until she reached his lips. There upon she placed a butterfly kiss. Then, as if she was driven by an unearthly force, she closed her eyes and started singing a song she had never sung before, a song that was completely unknown to her; a song that was inspired to her by that divine power.

Ever felt away with me  
Just once that all I need  
Entwined in finding you one day

Ever felt away without me  
My love, it lies so deep  
Ever dream of me

Would you do it with me  
Heal the scars and change the stars  
Would you do it for me  
Turn loose the heaven within

I'd take you away  
Castaway on a lonely day  
Bosom for a teary cheek  
My song can but borrow your grace

As she was singing, the sunlight of the dawn glowed blue and surrounded Anna. Gabriel, roused by the melodic singing, opened his eyes to the wondrous sight and held his breath until her song was finished.

"Anna… You look and sing like an angel…", he told her and smiled to her warmly.

"Gabriel?", Anna gasped and opened her eyes at once, trying to wipe away her tears.

"My love, were you crying? Why… Why… You shouldn't cry for someone who isn't worth it…", he told her quietly as he sat up and took her hands in his. Then he leaned in and kissed her wet eyes softly.

"You cried for me", she told him and placed her hand on the dry tear on his cheek. "And I wasn't worth it. So let me cry for you…", she said with a sob in her throat.

"Shh… Come here… Come in my hug", he invited her warmly.

"I love you!", she cried and hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry… Please forgive me!"

"I love you too, my dearest and only princess, but there is nothing to forgive… You should forgive my… my selfishness", he said and lowered his eyes.

"She was right… I don't know who you are. I don't realize how much you love me…", she sighed and nested her head on his chest.

"Who… Who was right?", he asked her.

"Isetnofret."

"Isetnofret?". Gabriel was completely confused now.

"The ancient Egyptian priestess, the witch you killed in Hungary. She visited me just before I woke you up with my song, and she spoke to me. Gabriel, she is helping us!"

In the next few minutes Anna narrated to her lover the whole incident with the priestess, and she told him everything using the exact words Isetnofret herself had used.

"As it seems, our time is limited…", Gabriel commented after Anna was finished with the narration. "And she gave us a clue for the riddle. The Blood on the Cross… Apparently, it refers to Jesus… I think Carl and father Nicholaus will be able to help us with that."

"But we should wait for them to wake up, though I think we won't need to wait for long…"

"Yes indeed… Oh, damn!"

"What?"

"I'll have to give explanations about that… dirty sheet as well!", he said humorously and pointed over to the chair where he had thrown the sheet, and they both laughed.

"Well, I wish this was the only thing we should have to worry about…", Anna said bitterly, and then placed a soft kiss on Gabriel's right shoulder.

"Yeah… By the way, where did you learn that song? It's wonderful."

"Oh, I don't know… It was like a divine power was guiding me, and inspired the song into me. I felt very strangely…"

"There was a blue light glowing around you while you were singing."

"A blue light?... Isetnofret!"

"Isetnofret… I think she's watching over you."

"How do you know?"

"I don't. I just… feel it. Well, it seems you have found your guarding angel!"

"I don't need another guarding angel. I already have one, and I'm deeply in love with him."


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's note:** _**28**__**th**__** May**__ today people, it's my __**birthday**__! I'm turning 20, and I feel better than ever! And because I'm in a good mood, I decided against my previous-chapter threat lol. Or at least I will delay it for a couple of days…evil grin So I'm posting this chapter for everybody who reads the story! __**And please, be kind and give me a review as a birthday gift! Please? Please? Thanks…**_

_**Elwyndra**__ and __**AnnaVanHelsing1887**__, thanks for your lovely reviews!_

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic __idea is that we'll follow their journey to Rome with all of its events, and finally we'll get to learn something__ about who he really is. All the way, there will be an exploration of his relationship with her_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _No, I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie and you know that. I only own my own characters and plot._

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 15

The following morning Gabriel and Anna met with Carl and father Nicholaus in the library's main room to discuss the riddle. Gabriel insisted on Dr. Williams being present as well. The rest of the Citadel's guests were offered to be shown around it, and they accepted the offer with pleasure, knowing that the solution of the riddle was a personal matter to Van Helsing and he had every right to share it only with the people he chose.

As soon as everybody was seated around the large wooden table in the center of the room, Anna told the rest about her experience of Isetnofret's visit to her last night, leaving the personal stuff out of her narration. Everybody listened to her with great interest and in amazement. After she was finished with it, most of the persons in the room seemed to have contained their amazement and they were now rather pensive.

"Well, before we start talking about the riddle", father Nicholaus decided to break the uneasy silence, "and the clue the priestess gave to Miss Anna, I think I should let you know a few things about Vandul, the demon who attacked you in the sea, as I had promised you yesterday", the elderly monk suggested and immediately captured everyone's interest. "The references of him in the books are not many at all…What is known about him is his name, Vandul… Vandul Anhmuk, if I am not mistaken, and some other facts considering his demonic appearance, but you already know these since you have seen him. Not much is known about his once mortal existence; it is conjectured that he originated somewhere in the Middle East, but nothing is confirmed... He probably asked the devil for a new life after his death, but he was denied it. On the contrary, Dracula was given a new life when he asked the devil for it. Therefore Vandul's envy and hatred for Dracula is enormous…"

"Then why did he attack us, and with personal references too, since we killed Dracula? He should be thanking us!", Gabriel mocked.

"My son, evil creatures can never have positive emotions like gratitude. Only hatred dwells in their damned, black souls. Do you not know that already?", the monk asked him with kindness, having taken him seriously.

"Yes, I do…", the hunter admitted humbly. "And I also know that we can never expect to have some good luck in this twisted world! We have to struggle for every last little thing…", he voiced his complaint.

"My son, don't lose your hopes and don't be ungrateful to God, for he always helps you to survive your encounters with evil…", father Nicholaus told him and Gabriel frowned at the realization of the truth in the monk's words. "And, to continue from where I stopped, an evil creature like Vandul will always seek to eliminate whatever is good and fair. You can never trust for traces of good to exist in a demon's soul", the elderly monk added.

"This is why he is now coming after us, isn't it? He hates Dracula, and, supposedly, he wants to exterminate the Valerious line as well, Anna's line, just because she and Dracula once had a common ancestor! And now that Dracula himself has failed to do so because we killed him, he will take on the task himself…", Gabriel commented and Anna gave him a worried look before speaking.

"Look, Isetnofret told me to solve the riddle and go to Rome as fast as possible, if we want to be saved from that demon, so why don't we start talking about the riddle and leave the rest aside?", the princess suggested in a rather upset tone.

"Yes, Anna is right. In fact, we thought that maybe you, father, and you, Carl, would be able to help us with the clue. The Blood on the Cross refers to Jesus, doesn't it?", Gabriel asked.

"Well, yes… and the word "blood" is included in the second line of the riddle, so there is probably a connection there…", Carl said and then remained thoughtful for a while before speaking again. "Van Helsing… I think… I think that the second line is like God Himself is speaking, and it says that Christ's Blood, the divine Blood, is turned into, ehm… into sand?", Carl said reluctantly.

"I believe that the word "sand" connects with the third line where an hour glass, that is to say a clepsydra, is mentioned… Do hour glasses not work with sand, usually?", Dr. Williams intervened.

"Yes, yes, this is it! My children, was it not soil the material God used to create the man, as it is described in the Holy Bible? It seems that here in this riddle the soil has been replaced by the sand, so as to make sense when combined with the hour glass!", father Nicholaus exclaimed in a sparkle of sharp thinking.

"But… But if it is so, the meaning of the line is that God's Blood is turned into soil, or otherwise divine nature into human nature…", Gabriel muttered in disbelief.

"Gabriel… do you realize what you have just said?", Anna asked him in astonishment and awe. Gabriel looked at her with a hint of fear and helplessness in his eyes.

"Is… is it not a tad too dangerous to make an assumption like that?", Carl worried.

"Perhaps, but it is the only reasonable conclusion that can be derived from the facts given", the doctor commented. "And the priestess's clue is absolutely clear. So you see, one fact leads to another, whether we consider the conclusion dangerous or not. We've seen and heard of so many weird things… noble men turning into evil monsters, horrible demons coming out of the sea, ancient priestesses seeking salvation and appearing in visions, needless to mention Count Dracula himself… Well, my friends, the fact that some divine… essence could take a human form does not surprise me the least", Robert stated bluntly and in a cool temper. Apparently, the doctor was the epitome of composure and rationalism.

Suddenly Gabriel stood up, clearly upset and confused, and walked fast towards the exit of the room.

"Ehm, Van Helsing, where are you going?" Carl called at him but the hunter didn't turn back.

"Let him be, son, let him be… He will need some time to compromise with the revelation we just experienced… Let him be", the elderly monk tried to calm the young friar.

"I'm going to find him", Anna stated and she jumped form her chair in an instant and walked decisively out of the room before anybody had the time to react.

"Well, since the two most interested in the solution of the riddle persons are not present anymore, I suppose we could make a pause here… and perhaps have lunch? We could certainly continue our discussion later, in the afternoon, and when Mr. Van Helsing will have calmed down", Robert suggested.

"Do we have another choice, Dr. Williams? We should let Van Helsing take the time he needs… Come, follow me to the dining room, if you please. Lunch will be actually served in a while", father Nicholaus said and stood. Then the small group left the library for the dining room.

Meanwhile, Anna was trying to catch up with Gabriel along the dark, narrow corridors and the many flights of stairs that led to the ground floor, where their guest rooms were, and eventually out of the main building.

"Gabriel…! Gabriel wait!", she shouted at him and quickened her pace, but he neither stopped nor responded to her calls.

Finally she caught up with him in the midway of a corridor.

"What?!", he turned abruptly and Anna bumped on him.

"Hey, calm down, will you?", she shook him and he let out a breath of irritation.

"I am calm!"

"No you're not. Gabriel, look at me… I want to help you. Will you let me help you?", she asked him and tenderly touched his cheek.

"Help me… How?", he asked her and looked at her with some desperation.

"Through this… I understand it's hard to accept the meaning of the riddle… Please, let's get out of this dark corridor, I don't like it. We can talk better under the sunlight… Please?"

Gabriel nodded positively and they took the way out of the Citadel's main building. When they reached the surface of the ground, a bright winter sun was shining and a light sea breeze blowing. For a winter's day, it was not cold. The two of them walked away from the building and stopped at a point where they had a nice view of the Mediterranean Sea.

"I… I can hardly realize what we said down there in the library", he started and looked away at the sea. Anna took his hand gently.

"My love… the meaning of the riddle so far is not negative… Why do you react like that?"

"Like what?"

"As if you don't like it, as if you want to run away from it… Why?"

"Because it's nothing I had expected for myself… Me, with divine essence or something? That's irrational! I can't believe it. We must have made a mistake solving the riddle", he protested.

"Don't run away form the truth… You never run away from anything!", she claimed.

"You don't know me…", Gabriel objected.

"You don't know yourself! And you refuse to accept the truth that God so miraculously reveals to you!", Anna snapped back at him.

"What, are you scolding me now?"

"Gabriel, no… I just want to help you see the truth. You are not an ordinary man… God has chosen you to do his work. He has granted you with His essence! You must feel grateful for that", she told him passionately.

"But I don't see anything divine in me. I am no saint, and I have killed so many people", he responded in a miserable tone.

"They were evil creatures that needed to be vanquished!"

"Yes but I'm the one who's standing there when they die and become the people they once were! Oh, don't sound like Cardinal Jinette now please!", the hunter complained.

"Gabriel…?"

"What?"

"An idea has just struck me! I think I understood the meaning of the next phrase of the riddle!"

"Hey, are you being serious now?"

"Listen! It says "lives fall through the hour glass and grow cold", right?"

"Yeah… Well?", he asked in anticipation.

"This is your job, Gabriel! The lives that grow cold are the creatures you vanquish! They fall through the hour glass, and there is sand in the hour glass, it is you and your job, do you see the connection?", she exclaimed enthusiastically.

"I'm trying… Can you explain it better?", he asked of her.

"Uh, I'll try. Look, those lives fall through the hour glass; that stands for the monsters' encounters with you, and their lives grow cold, which means they die, they die of your hand! And the sand connects with the hour glass and the blood as we said in the library. The hour glass is your job!"

"My love you are so clever… I'm amazed! But it's nothing less than I had expected from you", he told her and kissed her softly. "Oh wait. On second thought, I see something else in there too…"

"What else?"

"The hour glass… The hour glass is a classic symbol of limited time, isn't it?"

"Yes, I think so…"

"I feel that it means to say that my job will come to an end, eventually."

"Well, that's logical, isn't it? You cannot hunt monsters all your life!"

"Yeah, it makes sense that way…", he agreed.

"And I think the question that follows in the riddle is quite clear, referring to your search for answers…", Anna suggested.

"Yes, I think so myself. So, till now the riddle has told us that somehow I have some divine essence within me, and it also describes my job… I wonder what the rest lines of the riddle will reveal…", he said thoughtfully.

"I too wonder. But let's go tell the others about our discoveries, shan't we?"

"Don't you want to enjoy the view of the sea for a while more?", Gabriel wondered.

"Yes I'd like to, but I think telling them about the riddle is more important. Carl certainly wants so much to know the meaning of the riddle! Oh, and maybe they have some different ideas upon to share with us…", the princess stated.

"Alright then, let's go satisfy the doctor's curiosity!", Gabriel said ironically.

"Gabriel, don't be mean! We owe the beginning of the solution to him!", she scolded her lover and he shrugged a bit.

"I'm joking, my love, I'm joking…", he said humorously and gave Anna a beautiful broad smile.

Then the two of them left the spot they were standing at and slowly walked hand in hand towards the building, enjoying for a few last minutes the faint warmth of the winter sun.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's note:** _Wo-hoooo! Here I am again, do you believe it? After all this time, wow! Hehe… Well, the reasons for my absence are that I had exams till early July, then I had vacations and during vacations I travel and don't write or generally use my pc at all, and in September I had exams again! Oh dear, I just finished yesterday… Anyway, I'm back again, and proud and happy to be back because I've missed you all! Here goes, as promised, the continuation of my story, and guess what! We have the solution of the riddle! But this doesn't mean that the story is close to the end… Okay, enough said. Read on of you are curious, and please be kind and review!_

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll follow their journey to Rome with all of its events, and finally we'll get to learn something about who he really is. All the way, there will be an exploration of his relationship with her_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _No, I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie and you know that. I only own my own characters and plot._

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 16

As soon as Gabriel and Anna retuned to the library's main room they found nobody there but a friar putting some books back to their place. He informed them that father Nicholaus and the rest had just moved to the dining room for lunch. The couple decided to join them so as not to appear impolite. As they entered the dining room father Nicholaus welcomed them warmly and offered them seats.

"I am sorry…", Gabriel started. "I shouldn't have left like that."

"We all understand you, my son. You don't have to apologize", the elderly monk reassured him, and Dr. Williams gave him a kind look.

Noticing that the rest of the castaways were also present, Gabriel decided against speaking more about the subject now. He chose to remain silent during the meal, while his mind was focused on the riddle. Anna, suspecting his thoughts and the reason for his silence, also kept their previous discoveries about the riddle to herself.

Everything was going peacefully well until Luka, the merchant, decided to speak after Mrs. Schaffer's secret nodding.

"Uhm, well, there is something that we'd like to tell you", he stated and every other conversation that was going on paused. "Mrs. Schaffer, father Antonio, Mr. Mancini and myself are thinking of leaving Alexandria, as our presence here is of none's benefit any more. You certainly have reasons to stay longer", he said and looked towards the couple, "but we all have lives left behind to catch up with."

"Of course we are in great debt to you, father. We wouldn't have made it without your kind help and I don't know if we could ever repay you, but I see now that we could only place an obstacle to Mr. Van Helsing's plans… We don't wish to be of any trouble or any kind of burden to you", said Antonio humbly, truly meaning what he said.

"Antonio, my friend, do you really wish to leave?", Carl asked in unpleasant surprise.

"I'm afraid yes…", the Franciscan monk replied quietly.

"And… and what about you, miss Francesca? Do you also wish to leave?", Carl turned to the young woman, his voice revealing frustration.

"Well… I've thought about it… Were things different for me, I would choose to leave. But my parents are dead now, and I have no close relative in Italy that could possibly help me… Can I stay with you until you go back to Italy, please?", the girl pleaded and her eyes glowed with anxiety and anticipation.

"Well, ehm…", Carl muttered and turned his head to Van Helsing, his eyes now expressing the same feelings as Francesca's.

The hunter thought for a while before speaking. Then he lifted his head and looked at Francesca straight in the eye.

"Look, young lady, we'll probably be facing dangers equal to the sea demon, and who knows what else. It won't be a happy journey back home, and we won't be leaving tomorrow morning. Consider these things. You say you have no family back in Italy and I can understand your place, believe me. But choosing to bind your fate with ours might possibly mean that you'll never see home again. I'm not the one to make such a serious decision for you; you'll be the one to decide. But first ask yourself this: is the fact that the Order can help you, once in Italy, worth taking all the known and unknown risks?"

Francesca hesitated for a while, Van Helsing's words having had an effect on her. Then she turned to Carl, and the friar gave her a small but warm smile.

"Yes, it is worth", she said, her eyes locked with Carl's, whose smile brightened at her statement.

Gabriel noticed his friend's change of facial expression but said nothing. He only lowered his eyes and seemed to drift back to his thoughts. Father Nicholaus, on the other hand, had patiently listened to the entire incident. Now it was time for him to speak.

"My good children, if your decision is to leave Alexandria, who am I to stop you? I would never want to keep you here against your will and far from what you hold dear. You can be sure that we will help you find ships to your destinations, and we will also provide you with money, clothes and whatever else you may need. It was a pleasure to know you, to have you here in the Citadel as guests for you added a bright note to our every day routine. Please know that you will always be welcome here! I will only ask of you one thing, to keep the existence of the Holy Order a secret, so that we will be able to continue with our work uninterrupted."

"Father Nicholaus, you can be sure about that. We will never forget that you helped us in the worst of our times, and that you are still willing to help us…", Mrs. Schaffer responded kindly and Matteo nodded in the same manner.

Father Nicholaus smiled warmly to the four people that would soon be leaving them. Truly, it was a rather rare event to have unexpected and outside-the-order guests in the Citadel, and the monks thought of the event as a pleasant change that came out of the blue.

Soon, the strange group finished their meal and left the dining room. Father Nicholaus advised the four people to rest and he told them that he would have them informed about their departure details as soon as it would be arranged. Then the elderly monk joined the others in the library's main room, something that tended to become of a habit by now. Francesca was also present, after Carl's request to Gabriel to which the hunter posed no objection.

"Ah, father Nicholaus, right in time!", Robert exclaimed. "Miss Anna was right about to tell us something interesting…"

"Is it about the riddle, I may guess?", the monk wondered.

"Yes… earlier this day, Gabriel and I thought what the meaning of the riddle's line "lives fall through the hour glass and grow cold" might be!", the princess said and she enthusiastically explained to the rest what they had figured of it.

"Interesting, exceptionally interesting…", the doctor commented thoughtfully. "And the riddle in a whole seems to make perfect sense so far. Everything connects to the rest… So good, we are making remarkable progress! Congratulations, Mr. Van Helsing!", he said obviously delighted.

"Well, to be frank here, it was Anna who should take all the credit for this. She figured out the meaning of this line", Gabriel stated humbly and gave Anna a loving gaze.

"Congratulations then to you, Miss Valerious. In the risk of being considered a radical, I shall say that you should have been given the chance to study something, judging by your sharp brain", he said and his words caused a surprised expression to appear on the elderly monk's face, and also Francesca's face. On the other hand, Gabriel and Carl simply smiled, both feeling proud for Anna.

"Ehm, well, moving on to the next phrase, I'm having a thought about what it might mean, though it's another dangerous assumption…", Carl started hesitantly.

"Go on Carl, speak your thought", Van Helsing encouraged him.

"Uh, alright… It says "turn my dirt to gold"… Do you notice the similarity and yet the opposition between this line and the line "turn my blood to sand"?", the young friar asked the others.

"I do… They are both formed in the same manner. Yet the first one expresses some kind of degradation as blood turns into sand, while the second one expresses the exact opposite with dirt turning to gold…", Gabriel commented.

"Yes, exactly. Out of this realization comes the, uh, dreaded, explanation. The divine essence that has taken a human form…"

"…should regain its divine one", Gabriel finished the phrase coldly, his gaze now blank and features hard.

"Oh my god…", Anna uttered, shocked as realization dawned on her.

"This means… Mr. Van Helsing is… is…?", Francesca muttered in astonishment and looked at Carl.

"We don't know… These are only suppositions we make… Maybe I've made a mistake…", he tried to calm things down.

"I am afraid that you have made no mistake, my friend. Once again everything fits perfectly in the riddle and our explanations connect wonderfully with each other. The fact that it is difficult for us to come to terms with the explanations is something else…", Dr. Williams said, killing every last illusive hope.

"My good children, who are we to deny and question God's will? In my opinion we should not rush for conclusions. If this is the right interpretation of the riddle we cannot know immediately for there is none to confirm it. Except God. And He will in time show you with signs, Van Helsing, that will either confirm or not the explanation we gave. Trust me, my good son. If God has chosen you, He will not desert you."

The elderly monk's words came little of soothing to the turmoil that was going on inside the hunter's heart and mind. On the contrary, they made him feel even more desperate. Right now he wished he were alone, far from everybody's eyes, care or curiosity, where he could shout out loud to God to leave him alone, that he felt he was only human and he could take no more, where he could cry and seek peace… But this could not happen. He knew that he would find peace only in death… For once more, the great monster slayer had to do what he knew so well, to hide his feelings, bury his pain deep inside his heart, creating one more wound that would never truly heal. He tightened his mouth and fought to hold back the emerging tears. Were they tears of raging anger? Tears of desperation? He could not tell. He only knew that they had to be suppressed, and suppressed they would be. Suddenly he felt all his years he could remember, all his missions, all the creatures he had killed as a huge burden on his shoulders, a burden that robbed him of his will and strength to go on. Why wasn't he allowed to have a normal life? Why should the riddle have such an interpretation? And why didn't he feel good at the idea of him being some kind of a heavenly creature? Gabriel was sure that there surely was much more to it that the riddle had revealed so far. Pressing himself to calm down, he decided to speak.

"Now I see that the limited time we concluded earlier can take another meaning… My limited time on earth. This time, this mission of mine, will come to an end soon. The divine essence must return to its source…", he stated and let out a small sigh. Then he continued, while everybody was holding their breath. "The rest of the riddle is rather easy to understand now. Time, the eternal time, shall heal my wounds, metaphorically, by revealing to me what has been concealed about me. That is my identity, my past life, anything… And after everything is revealed, my soul will be salvaged… This is what I wanted, dammit, to know who I am! And now the riddle is considered solved. No more about it. Not a single word", he finished coldly, but his underlying turmoil of feelings was clear to the people that knew him well.

Everybody stood speechless as Gabriel rose from his seat. He nodded good night to the rest and slowly walked out of the room. During the last minutes he hadn't given Anna a single look, so she supposed that he really needed some time alone now. She could try to soothe him later at night, after she would have managed to make peace with everything that was revealed here a few minutes ago. She, too, could use some time on her own.

As a matter of facts, the small group soon left the room and with few words of good night everybody went to their rooms, with low spirits and fatigue taking over them. If there was anything else that could be said about the riddle, it certainly shouldn't be said tonight.

Anna went up to their small room, thinking that Gabriel would have chosen to go outside and be alone. She was right indeed. Nobody was in the room, which now looked dark and cold. The princess lit up a candle to make some light, but nothing could lighten and warm the place as their love did. Quietly she changed into her nightgown and sat on the divan next to the window. There was no moon tonight and the night was really dark. Anna closed her eyes and wished for Isetnofret to appear, but nothing happened. There was no blue light to enter the room and give her hope now. Truly, it seemed that they were all alone this time…

Gabriel, on his side, chose a dark corner of the walls to lean at. The black sky blended with the black sea so well that you could not really tell where the separating line between them was. It was cold and a bit windy. The waves of the sea made noisy splashing sounds as they broke on the rocks under the citadel. The hunter closed his eyes and let the sound of the sea calm him. Then he tried to put his feelings into an order. Desperation first grabbed his soul, and then it was anger, rage, frustration… But why? His human nature protested against divinity. Why did he have to be heavenly sent? And if so, why did he have to be sent as a man, a man with all human weaknesses, desires and passions? Passions… His mind drifted to Anna. Why did God let him love a woman so strongly if He would call him back soon? Why should Anna suffer later on? And why should his human nature suffer so greatly? Yes, yes, there was certainly much more to it. He was being punished for some unknown past sin, it had to be that. The riddle had revealed but a small part of the truth. This was not all. This was not the end. It was merely the beginning.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's note:** _Another chapter for you today! I'm catching up with my previous rhythms, lol! Please be kind and give me reviews! I need some encouragement guys to go on with the story! At least I need to know that some people are reading this and I'm not writing in vain!_

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll follow their journey to Rome with all of its events, and finally we'll get to learn something about who he really is. All the way, there will be an exploration of his relationship with her_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _No, I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie and you know that. I only own my own characters and plot._

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 17

When Van Helsing returned to their room he found Anna sleeping on the small divan. She had no cover on her and was curled like a cat, apparently trying to warm herself as the room was rather cold. Gabriel thought that she probably fell asleep while waiting for him, and he felt some kind of guilt for this. Without losing any time, he gently lifted the princess in his arms, careful not to wake her up, and he placed her body in the bed and covered her with the soft covers. Then he crept beside her and slowly took her in his hug. His movement, however, woke her up.

"Gabriel…?", she muttered, still drowsy, and turned to his side.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you…", he started. "I only wanted to make you feel warmer. You were almost frozen on the divan."

"Oh my god, I must have fallen asleep while waiting for you…", she realized.

"You shouldn't have been."

"What are you saying now? Such a mistake of mine to all asleep! But tell me now, how are you feeling?", she asked him softly.

"I'm alright", he lied and avoided her eyes.

"Hey now, my love, don't lie to me…", she reprimanded him lovingly and placed her hand on his cheek, making him turn his face to hers.

"All this… it's too much, so much more than I could ever imagine. It's not easy to come to terms with it. And I fear we have just discovered the beginning of my mystery's thread", he remarked.

"Shh, I am going to help you through it. I've told you that whatever it comes, we'll face it together", she tried to reassure him.

"Look, Anna, I wouldn't care the least if it was only about me. But I'm not alone anymore… It's you in my life now and I don't want you to suffer because of me. It's not fair. Do you understand what the riddle means? It means that we'll be parted, sooner or later. I don't want you to suffer because of me going away…", he confessed.

Anna stood silent for a while. She indeed had thought of what Gabriel had just said, but hearing these words from him was something different.

"My love, you shouldn't blame yourself for anything", she started softly. "We both knew from the beginning on that our love was not an average love… And we chose to be together but for all the possible dangers. Will we back off now? No we won't! We have to be strong and deal with everything that comes in our way."

"Yes, but it appears that this time we stand before a dead-end, before something that we have no control over. Even the thought that I will lose you in the end makes my heart bleed …", he said bitterly.

"My heart bleeds too, my love. But the end hasn't come yet. We should worry about it when it comes close. Letting ourselves fall into desperation now will only harm us and benefit our enemies. And this demon, Vandul, hasn't forgotten about us, I bet."

"Yeah… It would be a mistake if we forgot about him."

"Isetnofret had told me that we must solve the riddle and return to Rome soon, where we will be safe. She said that Vandul is forming an evil alliance against us and that she wouldn't be able to battle him effectively for much longer… She also said that his allies will attack in disguise, and this is what terrifies me the most."

"We must keep our eyes open. Let's make him the first subject to deal with", the hunter suggested.

"You are right. We can't stay in Alexandria for much longer. We mustn't give time advantage to the demon."

"Indeed. Tomorrow I'm going to see what weapons I can find here…", said Gabriel and his words were followed by a short pause.

"I wonder if the doctor will choose to leave with the others, now that the riddle is solved. And I'm also worried about Francesca. She's so young and inexperienced…"

"Don't worry, Carl will take good care of her."

"Now why doesn't this sound to me much of reassurance?", Anna asked playfully and they both laughed at the thoughts her question evoked. Laughter had a positive effect on the two lovers and it made them feel better. Then Gabriel leaned closer to Anna and kissed her softly on her lips. The princess responded hungrily and deepened the kiss. Soon they found themselves caressing each other tenderly and exchanging passionate kisses. In a strange way, when they got to loving each other they felt as if nothing else existed on the earth but them, as if no problems were troubling them…

"Anna…", Gabriel whispered huskily, already burning with desire. Still, he was uncertain whether to move on or not, thinking about their last sexual encounter and how it developed.

"Gabriel… I want you", she responded in a seductive and lustful voice. What's more, she moved her body under his and parted her legs.

Van Helsing, encouraged by her reaction, placed his hand on her thigh and caressed it upwards, lifting up her nightgown. Anna gave out a small sound of pleasure and then she reached up and kissed her lover feverishly.

Both of them were so much entranced with their starting to make love that they didn't notice the shadow creeping up the window. It was only when it slid inside that Gabriel's ability to sense evil gave him a strange feeling.

"Wait…! Something's wrong…", he said and sat up, cautiously looking around, his eyes narrowed. But the dim light of the only candle lit wasn't very helpful to him.

"What is it, Gabriel? I can't see or hear anything strange…", Anna commented.

"Shh! I can sense evil close enough… And, damn, I have no weapons!", he cursed under his breath.

"Well well, such a pity! And I was so close to succeeding in approaching the great Van Helsing unnoticed…! But what have I heard? The great slayer has run out of weapons? Such a shame!", said a strange and rather high-pitched male voice.

"Who are you? Show yourself!", Gabriel commanded and jumped out of the bed, wearing only his sleeping pants. Anna stayed still and watched, her breath caught in her throat.

"Tsk, tsk, how unkind of me to interrupt the great hunter's love scene…", the voice said mockingly. "And trust me", he continued, "I don't feel sorry that it was the last one of your life!", he shouted and with that the dark shadow that had glided inside quickly took the form of a young man in his mid-twenties. He was dressed in an elegant dark green suit and had his sand blonde hair tied back in a low ponytail. All in all, he looked very aristocratic and he had a nice posture that added to his charming looks.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?", yelled Gabriel, still surprised by what was going on before their eyes, but his voice did not have even the slightest hint of fear. Surely enough, he had encountered far more terrifying creatures than this young man.

"My name is, oh well, was, to be exact, Henry Davis, but you may call me Hellrider", he said with emphasis.

"Oh really? I'm impressed. And now would you be as kind as to tell me the way to get rid of you, mister Hellrider?", Gabriel said in irony and disbelief.

"Don't provoke him…", Anna whispered to Van Helsing.

"Do you think I'm a fool, great hunter? Or do you think that I've come here to have a little chat with you two lovers?", Hellrider said angrily and then spread his arms and slowly started to ascend, floating in the air.

"You are here after Vandul's command, aren't you?", Gabriel asked him.

"Oh, it's such a pity my dear friend was not able to accompany us tonight… But you see, evil, too, has its rules. And now you have to die!", the demon shrieked.

"Anna, get out of here! You know what to do! As for you, Hellrider or whatever they call you, I hope you're in for a big game, because I'm not going to surrender!", Gabriel shouted and took a dagger that was on the small table in his hand.

Anna, thinking quickly, understood what Gabriel had implied and run out of the room like the wind. She had to get Carl. They had to find out how to kill Hellrider.

"She can go, for now. After all, I will find more pleasure in killing you one after another!", Hellrider yelled and moved closer to Gabriel.

"Take another step closer and you're dead", the hunter threatened the demon and held the dagger firmly before him. However, inside him Van Helsing knew that this dagger could do little or no damage at all to him, and he wished for Carl to appear soon and tell him how to kill Hellrider.

Meanwhile, Anna reached Carl and Antonio's room and knocked on the door fiercely.

"Carl! Carl! Open up quickly!", she yelled.

Some seconds later Carl appeared at the door and looked at Anna in surprise.

"What are you doing here, in such a… Oh my god! Is something wrong?"

"Yes! There's a demon in our room! He said his name is Hellrider! Carl, Van Helsing is in danger! We need your help!", she pleaded anxiously.

"Hellrider? Oh my god! There is a certain spell to make him go away…", the friar started.

"What is it?"

"I'm trying to remember… Err, it begins with "Forces of good…", well, let's go to Van Helsing and Ill try to remember the rest!"

With that Anna and Carl quickly left the monks' room while Antonio, who had just woken up, stood still, looking at them in wonder.

While this scene was taking place, Hellrider's conversation with Van Helsing was going on.

"Do you think your little toy can harm me?", he said ironically and pointed at the dagger. "Ha-ha-ha! Obviously, you don't know me well, mister Van Helsing…", he mocked Gabriel.

"You arrogant creature, I don't give a damn about your miserable existence!", the hunter snapped.

"You don't watch your tongue, great slayer, and it has gone too far with playing. Now it's time for me not to watch mine!", the demon yelled and ascended, almost reaching the ceiling.

"What the hell do you mean?", Gabriel asked cautiously, instinctively holding his breath now.

"_Born of black wind, fire and steel, Before me now I command you to kneel!_", said the demon, casting his spell on Gabriel, who now felt an unknown power forcing him to obey Hellrider's words. He tried to resist and not to kneel in front of the demon.

"Damn you, I won't be your puppet!", the hunter yelled and struggled not to fall down on his knees.

"_Styx is flowing a rotten stream, Death shall make you bleed and scream_", Hellrider attacked Gabriel with a second spell.

This one was beyond the hunter's control. He found himself collapsing on the floor, the dagger falling from his hand and on the ground with a distinct metallic sound, while scratches and wounds tore Gabriel's flesh and hot red blood started to stream out of them. The hunter screamed in agony and devastation for not being able to fight back Hellrider. The demon watched Van Helsing suffer and he reveled in the hunter's torture, proud of himself for he was succeeding in his goal.

"One more spell and we'll meet again in hell, great Van Helsing! Ha-ha-ha! _Rulers of hell hate and lie, I summon you to make him die!_"

"No!"

It was Anna's voice that was heard this time as she pushed the door wide open and threw herself over her lover in an attempt to protect him. There was a small pool of blood around Gabriel now, and he seemed to be dying. Right behind Anna came Carl, but he stopped in his steps just as he entered the room. He didn't dare get closer to the demon.

"Oh my god! I have to remember… Forces of good that…that, err… Yes, this is it! _Forces of good that light the day, Make this demon go away! Cast his blackened soul to stone, Forever in darkness to be alone! Erase the deeds that he has done, All the suffering must be gone!_", Carl recited, and now it was the demon's turn to shriek in agony.

"Nooooooooo! You will pay, foolish humans! Aaaarghhh!", he screamed and then suddenly dissolved into thin air and evaporated.

Miraculously, Gabriel's wounds healed at once and the blood pool disappeared. Anna helped him to a sitting position and Carl run to him as well.

"Thank you, Carl…", he uttered, still feeling weak.

"Oh Gabriel!", cried Anna and hugged him tenderly, tears of relief running down her cheeks.

"Are you feeling better, Van Helsing? This was quite a powerful demon that attacked you…", Carl said.

"Yeah… I underestimated him a bit, but his spells were powerful enough. Thanks, again."

"Don't mention it. You'd better rest now… It's going to be dawn in a couple of hours, and we can discuss things in the morning", Carl advised his friend.

"Yes, Carl, you are right", Gabriel complied.

"I don't know what we'd do without your help! You are really great, and a genius!", Anna told him enthusiastically.

"Well, yes, I've been told this before… Uhm, I will leave you then. I'll see you in the morning", said the friar and exited the room.

Gabriel stood up, with a little help from Anna. The effect of Hellrider's spells hadn't completely disappeared yet.

"I'd rather get to the bed…", he said and walked slowly to it. Then he let himself collapse on the mattress. Anna tidied the covers over him and made him feel more comfortable. Then she sat on the edge of the bed. She lowered her face to Gabriel's and placed a feathery kiss on his lips. The hunter smiled in response.

"You frightened me to death… You shouldn't do this again", she started.

"Mmm… I can only promise you that I will try…", he replied. "And now come here, beside me. I bet you are tired", he invited her.

"Well, you can have the whole bed. I'm thinking it'd be better for you to sleep comfortably, after what you've suffered, and this bed is rather narrow for two people to sleep comfortably. I can use the divan", she said and began to move away.

"What are you saying?", Gabriel protested and propped himself on his elbows. "You aren't going anywhere. I want you… I need you here, in my arms", he said and sat up, offering a hand to Anna. She hesitated for a moment, but when Gabriel smiled to her she took his hand and slid in the bed, hiding herself in his hug.

"Now I feel really better…", he said and then closed his eyes, letting sleep soothe his weary body.

**Author's**** note:** _Remember what I've asked for? Yes, reviews! Please guys, give me some reviews and you'll get the next chapter soon!_


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's note:** _Okay, here's chapter 18 then. You don't give me reviews except for __**AnnaVanHelsing1887 **__and__** Elwyndra**__ (thank you both!), and I get really frustrated. Should I not go on with the story? You can tell me if you don't like it, you know… Because now I feel that I'm writing this for only a couple of persons out there! Really, I hope that's not the truth… :(_

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll follow their journey to Rome with all of its events, and finally we'll get to learn something about who he really is. All the way, there will be an exploration of his relationship with her_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _No, I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie and you know that. I only own my own characters and plot._

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 18

The following day the four people that had chosen to leave Alexandria were informed of the details of their departure, and they busied themselves by going out to the city's market together with some monks to buy everything that would be necessary for their journey. On the contrary, Van Helsing, Anna and Carl met with father Nicholaus, Dr. Williams and Francesca to discuss their plans of further action. Father Nicholaus was shocked when the three friends told him about last night's incident with Hellrider.

"Dear God in heaven! How can it be? Hellrider dared enter such a sacred place like our Citadel is? This means that evil's fury has gone beyond reckoning!"

"Yes, and we can't stay with arms crossed, waiting for the next demon to attack. I need to get weapons. I need to be ready", Gabriel said with determination.

"Then you should visit our armory, my good son. I'm sure you will find the weapons you look for", the elderly monk offered.

"Well, actually, I can help him with that", Carl intervened. "I'm the one who designs most of Van Helsing's weapons back in the Vatican, and I know the ways to kill the evil creatures!", he continued, full of pride.

"If you don't say so yourself…", Gabriel commented with a hint of humor in his voice.

"Oh but I did say so myself! What would you have done without me last night?", the friar protested.

"Alright, Carl, have it your way… You're right, after all", Van Helsing drew back.

"It seems that you are a genius, father Carl…", Francesca added her opinion.

"Now I think it's the third time in a short period that I'm told this! Oh, and thank you, Miss Francesca… Ehm, you can just call me Carl…", he said, lowering his voice, while a tint of blushing red appeared on his cheeks.

"Then I will be simply Francesca… Carl", she responded shyly, blushing as well.

None of the others who were watching this sweet dialogue between the friar and the girl seemed to bother by the intimacy that was developing between them, except for father Nicholaus. He must have thought that Carl's behavior was rather improper for a monk-to-become. Still, he chose not to speak. This was not their major problem now, and, after all, Carl was a friar in the Vatican, not in Alexandria, therefore not under his surveillance and responsibility.

"Now, to speak of something important, I fear that another demon might attack us here, before we leave Alexandria", the hunter brought the subject back to his interest.

"Well, Van Helsing, I think you are right. Since the leader of the evil alliance is Vandul, a demon of the sea, it is highly unlikely that his allies will be allowed to attack us while on a ship", said Carl and Gabriel nodded in agreement.

"Why?", asked Anna and the others gave her a look as if her question was really stupid.

"Oh because Vandul is allowed to attack only once a year, when the January moon is full, remember? As a result the members of his alliance must bear his restrictions. However, those restrictions only apply in the sea, as you understand…", the young friar answered Anna's question.

"But on land they are free to act according to their will, correct?", it was the doctor's turn to speak.

"Indeed… So we must be careful. Unfortunately we can't know when they will choose to attack", said Carl and frowned.

"We say "they", but we have no clue who those "they" are! It's damn hard to take precautions against an unknown enemy!", said Gabriel angrily and snorted.

"Isn't anything written in the books? Hasn't an evil alliance ever happened before? It can't be so!", said Anna.

"Well evil alliances have happened before, but not with Vandul… And since so little is known about him we cannot possibly predict which among all evil creatures he will recruit as his allies…". Carl replied, and it truly seemed that there was no way out of this.

"You are right, my child, but Hellrider is a powerful demon. This makes me think that he will turn to the strongest of the evil creatures for help", the elderly monk commented.

"Yeah, and from what we know they are not just a handful!", the hunter raised his voice.

"Vandul must be really determined to finish us off, and I bet it bothers him that he has to depend on his allies… Things are getting really dangerous, and they will get worse. But you, Dr. Williams, why do you choose to stay with us? What do you hope to get out of it?", Anna hit Robert with an unexpected question. The doctor looked a bit surprised but he knew how to keep his temper.

"Miss Anna, I have thought about leaving, since now that the riddle is solved and I would probably be no longer needed. But really, how many times in your life do you get the chance to encounter evil in all its magnitude? How many people on this earth can claim to have met, and survived, the notorious Van Helsing?", he asked and at that Gabriel gave him a rather sharp look. "And now that my life's strange sequence of consequences has brought me into this extraordinary adventure, I will not allow cowardice to take over me and to make me flee!", was the doctor's response.

"Vanity, then, is what motivates you, doctor? If I were in your place I would take the chance to go away from this madness", said the princess bitterly.

"You may call it vanity, Miss Anna, but behind each of us hide personal motivations that lead to and give a reason for our actions. And of course, I can't be expected to have the same motivations as you or as nobody else here in this room to justify my choices…", Robert voiced his opinion firmly.

"Yes, doctor, but you seem to ignore the fact that you are not the center of this… adventure, as you called it. The demons are not after you. they are after Van Helsing and me. Why should you put your life to danger?", she asked him.

"Miss Anna, if I place an obstacle to your plans you ought to tell me immediately. Is that the case, then?", Robert worried, feeling somewhat offended now.

"No, Dr. Williams, you are no obstacle to our plans. I wonder if we even have certain plans anyway… I was only speaking considering your well-being. You have helped us a lot till now; it wouldn't be fair if you were harmed", the princess told him softly.

"Well, then, you do not need to worry about me. And I am still willing to offer you my help whenever needed", he reassured her and Anna gave him a true smile of gratitude.

"Enough time spent talking. I'm going down to the armory. Carl, I need you to come with me", the hunter suddenly said and stood up.

"Yes, of course…", Carl agreed and the two of them soon disappeared in a dark corridor.

The two friends took quite a lot of time wandering among the armory stalls, trying to decide what weapons to take. There was a big variety to choose from, and many of the weapons, especially the swords, had eastern influences in their construction. Gabriel chose a very beautiful sword with a silver handle and golden filigree laid into it. He would give it to Anna as a gift, now that she had lost her original sword in the sea. A lot later, they had taken every weapon that he and Carl thought would be proved useful, and this made the hunter feel better prepared for a possible second encounter with evil creatures.

Anna chose to retire to their room and take some rest. She had chosen a book from the library to read. It had nothing to do with demons or evil creatures. It was a book about Alexander the Great's life, the founder of Alexandria. The princess thought that she could take a break from the harsh reality and educate herself a bit by reading about the famous ancient conqueror. She was well-focused on the book when she heard the door creaking. She lifted her head and she saw Gabriel's figure entering the room.

"Gabriel! I had expected that it would take you considerably longer down there!", she said happily and closed the book.

"Hmm, I'm happy to see you sooner, then", he replied. "You were reading?"

"Well yes, I had to find something to do for my time to pass…", she told him.

"I got a better idea. How about us taking a walk by the sea? We need some time on our own, after last night's… interruption!", he said and grinned wickedly.

"That's true! And I suppose a little walk outside couldn't ruin our plans!", she accepted his invitation with enthusiasm.

"Absolutely not", he reassured her and soon the two of them found themselves walking on the cold sand, moving away from the citadel.

It was a rather warm winter afternoon and the last rays of the sun created incredibly beautiful color formations in the sky. Red, orange, yellow, pink and purple mixed with the sky's blue and the clouds' gray and the result was a wonderful horizon over the sea line. A chilly breeze was blowing and Anna wrapped her coat tighter around her. Then she looked up to the man beside her and smiled.

"It feels so good to be here with you… alone. I really missed you, Gabriel", she told him lovingly.

"I missed you too", came his reply. "Come, let's walk a bit more. It's really cold to be standing still", he suggested and they kept walking until the sun had completely dived into the sea. The Citadel was now visible no more. They really had walked a lot.

"Did you enjoy our little walk?", he asked her.

"Yes it was quite refreshing. But it's getting darker. I suppose we should return to the fort. Perhaps the others are wondering where we might be…", she told him and turned to face him.

"True, my love, but it's so sad that we won't be returning at all."

"What? Gabriel, what are you saying now? Of course we'll go back!", she protested, while a strange feeling was forming inside her. A feeling that warned her to be careful.

"I mean what I said. And you're not going back, because you are going to die!", he yelled and drew a sword out of nowhere. "Oh, and my name is not Gabriel, princess. I am the Nomad!", the man said and then he started shapeshifting until he gained his true form: an ugly man with a black triangular face, dressed in a nomad's robes and hooded as well. His yellow eyes glowed in the darkness of his barely seeable face and he held a terrible smile that revealed his rotten teeth. His figure was short and slim but this told nothing of his power.

"Oh my god…! You are the metamorph! The devil of the desert!", she said breathlessly in the horrid realization of what was going on.

"You read your books, princess, don't you?", he said and moved closer to her, swaying his sword threateningly before him. Anna took a couple of steps backwards and grabbed a stone from the ground.

"Stay back!", she commanded, full on-guard now, but angry with herself for having been so easily deceived by the metamorph.

The Nomad ignored her command completely and attacked her forcefully. Anna managed to duck just in time, avoiding the sharp blade that would have otherwise cut her head off. In counter attack she threw the stone as powerfully as she could at the metamorph's head. The stone hit him on his right temple and threw him off balance. As he fell down, the hood fell on his back and revealed his head. Blood now was running down from the wound the stone had created. Anna took advantage of his fall and kicked his sword away. Then she rolled quickly to it, grabbed it and stood again on her feet. But the metamorph was not defeated. Instead, he too stood up and in the blink of an eye a belt with a row of lethal daggers appeared around his waist.

"You like games, don't you? Well, so do I!", the Nomad shrieked and darted one of the daggers aiming directly at Anna's heart.

The princess moved fast so the dagger didn't find its original target, but it penetrated her left shoulder deeply. Anna gave out a cry of pain as blood started to jump forth from her wound. Gritting her teeth, she looked at the metamorph straight in the eye. The dirty bastard was smiling sarcastically, and this infuriated her more. Holding her breath and gathering her courage, she pulled the dagger out of her shoulder and threw it back to him. Anna thought that if she had no weapons of her own then she would use his against him. But the Nomad was too fast for her ill-targeted darting of the dagger, and it found the ground instead of him. Anna didn't want to give the metamorph an advantage, so she ran towards him with the sword extended. A shield appeared in the metamorph's arm and he blocked her attack, but the princess managed to cut him in the leg with a second attack. The Nomad screamed in pain and kneeled. Anna, thinking this was the opportune moment, started running towards the Citadel. She didn't want any innocent people to get involved and be harmed, so she decided not to shout for help. Anna kept running and running until she could clearly see the Citadel. A jolt of relief ran through her body, but at the same time she felt that her powers were abandoning her at a quick pace. And then she saw the Nomad approaching her rapidly. She tried to run again, but the wound in her shoulder had exhausted her. A couple of seconds later he reached her. His wounds seemed to have almost healed, while Anna's was getting worse. The Nomad stopped in front of her and slowly started to walk around her in a circle, like a predator that is ready to devour his prey.

"How does that seem now, princess? That nasty wound aches, doesn't it… Maybe you would like me to take care of it", he said and quickly took Robert's form. "Or maybe me, considering that we are closer friends", the metamorph continued, changing his shape into Carl now. Anna was staring at him speechless, frightened and disgusted.

"Gotten warmer with running? Or perhaps I could get you really warm, in the way that I only know!", the Nomad played with her again and took Gabriel's form.

"Don't approach me, you monster!", the princess barked.

The Nomad, though, had different plans. He threw himself violently on her and they both fell to the ground. Anna let out a scream and as the metamorph tried to block her mouth she bit his hand hard. That only enraged him more, and he slapped her cruelly. Anna felt dizzy after the slap and her defenses grew looser. The metamorph took the chance and pinned her down. Before killing her he would enjoy raping her…

**Author's note:** _Don't you wanna know what will happen to poor Anna? If you do, then you know what to do… Yes, __**review**_

_Oh and something else, before I forget again. In the previous chapter I borrowed the name Hellrider from Judas Priest (song: Hellrider, album: Angel of Retribution). Also, the line "born of black wind, fire and steel" belongs to Manowar (song: Black Wind, Fire and Steel, album: Fighting the World). In this chapter The Nomad is actually a song by Iron Maiden (song: The Nomad, album: Brave New World). Alright, those heave metal guys inspire me LoL! I hope it doesn't bother anyone that I borrow a few things from them!_


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's note:** _Hi back, after some time. I would really like to update earlier but lessons have started and I'm already under a lot of pressure! Anyway, on with the chapter now, I have to inform you that there's some violence and some language in it, so beware._

_Last but not least, hundreds of thanks to my reviewers, __**AnnaVanHelsing1887**__**Elwyndra**__ and __**Shoysrock**__. (The order is simply alphabetical, and therefore of no importance!) :)_

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll follow their journey to Rome with all of its events, and finally we'll get to learn something about who he really is. All the way, there will be an exploration of his relationship with her_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _No, I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie and you know that. I only own my own characters and plot._

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 19

The sun had set for good when Van Helsing and Carl finally left the Citadel's armory. They chose quite a few weapons that would help defend themselves against strong evil creatures and also attack them.

Feeling rather weary, Gabriel gathered the weapons and made for his room. He thanked Carl for his invaluable assistance and told him that they would meet at dinner. The young friar said that he would be in the library, secretly hoping to meet Francesca there. Then the two friends parted.

Entering the room, Gabriel was surprised not to find Anna there. He was disappointed a bit, as he wanted to give her the sword he had chosen for her. Now it would have to wait for later. Anna was neither obliged nor expected to stay in their room for so many hours, after all. But still, her lover had missed her a lot and he wanted at last to see her.

As he glanced around the small room his eyes stopped on the book that she had left on the divan. Gabriel took it in his hands. It was about Alexander the Great. The hunter wondered since when Anna had gotten curious to know about ancient conquerors and smiled to himself. Using the book as a kind of a clue, he thought that she could be in the library, possibly looking for something else to read. Shouldn't she have taken the book with her, then? Gabriel couldn't find an answer to his mind's question, but it didn't really bother him a lot. It wasn't something particularly important. So, he made for the library.

Carl was there, chatting quietly with Miss Francesca, as he had hoped. Dr. Williams was also there, completely absorbed in a huge book about human anatomy. But Anna was not among them.

"Carl, have you seen Anna, by any chance?", Gabriel asked the friar, interrupting his conversation.

"Well no, Van Helsing… But isn't she in your room?", Carl wondered.

"I wouldn't' be asking you then, would I?", Gabriel counter-asked, obviously irritated.

"Alright, alright…! Why do you always get so annoyed?"

"I don't!", he snapped and turned to leave the room, leaving Carl and Francesca to resume their conversation.

Van Helsing searched for her in the other library rooms, in the dining room, even in the kitchen, but there was no sign of her. None of the monks had seen her around and neither had father Nicholaus.

Dark thoughts started to drill the hunter's head. Why wasn't she around? Where could she have gone alone and unarmed? She didn't even know the city the least! Would she be that foolish to leave the Citadel now that the Alliance's attack had already started being unleashed upon them?

Keeping one last hope of finding her in the Citadel, he climbed the many flights of stairs to the top of the Fort so he would be able to see if she was there and also if she was somewhere within the fortification. It was already dark, he realized, and this awoke more worries in his heart. Anna was nowhere he could see and the thin slice of moon up in the sky was of very little help to him.

Suddenly he heard distant screaming, a call for help. He recognized the voice. It was Anna! Wasting no time, he rushed downstairs to their room, grabbed his weapons and the sword he had chosen for his lover and hurried out of the Citadel. Nobody took notice of what was going on. The walls were too thick for voices from outside to penetrate. Gabriel lost no time telling the others about Anna being in danger. He had to run like hell if he was to save her and this was the only thing that mattered to him right now. Soft and quick like a shadow, he ran out of the Citadel, and his dark figure blended perfectly with the black night. He felt being the hunter once more, but this time his mission was to save and not to kill. Or perhaps it was both.

Meanwhile, and not so far from the Citadel, a horrific scene was taking place. The Nomad was lying on top of Anna, reveling in the sight of her being weak and vulnerable, totally under his control. The princess would indeed be proved a wonderful toy in his hands, he thought.

"How does that feel, princess? To be a toy in my hands!", he spoke his thoughts.

"Ahh… you're despicable!", she cried and tried to free her wrists from his grasp.

"You aren't going anywhere! I will have a little fun with you… Maybe you could be cooperative, for your own sake. I don't really care. You will die in the end, either way", the metamorph stated coldly.

"What? Don't you dare touch me, monster!", Anna protested, but the Nomad was not affected at all by her words. Instead, he smiled sadistically and pressed his body on hers.

Anna gave out a cry of disgust and turned her face to one side. How had it come to this? She was about to be raped and then… killed. Vandul would succeed. His evil plan of destroying her and her lover would start working! Desperation took over her at these thoughts, and she made one final, weak attempt to escape the metamorph. She failed.

The Nomad, feeling that the princess was quickly running out of strength to fight him back, smiled to himself. She would be his… But he had one more ace up in his sleeve. He would make her suffer the most.

"Why do you react like that, princess? I thought you enjoyed having sex, don't you, little whore?", he started humiliating her. Anna felt his words burning into her. Tears emerged in her eyes but she wouldn't do his favor and cry. She would suffer his insults bravely. "You let that hunter take you all the ways, don't you? You let his bloodstained hands roam all over your body, touch even your most private spots… You let that murderer fuck you in any way he wants and now you resist me?", he asked her full of anger and evil lust.

"You filthy bastard! You will never know! You know nothing but hatred and evil! You know nothing about love and you never will!", she yelled at him in fury and pain.

"Aha… so that's it then. You love him! But how much do you know about him? You think he's a holy man, don't you… But you fool yourself! He's a murderer!", he spat out his accusations.

"You call him murderer? Go look at yourself in the mirror first!", she snapped courageously.

"You've got courage princess, but you are blind. Soon the truth will be revealed and, trust me, I will do you a favor by killing you now!", he played with her agony heartlessly.

"Your words are poison."

"My specialty, princess", he replied ironically.

With that the Nomad decided that it was enough with words. He lowered his horrible face to hers and licked her with his forked tongue. Anna shivered in disgust beneath him. Soon the metamorph moved on to licking her jawline and then her neck. Intrigued by her crimson lips, he bit them hard. Anna cried in pain as blood started to stream down from her bitten lips, but her cries only increased the Nomad's sick lust.

His hands let go of her wrists. Anna thought for a moment that this was her chance to break free, but she soon reconsidered that as four enormous tentacles sprang out from the Nomad's back, two grasping her wrists and the two others her ankles. He was a metamorph, after all, and he could take whatever shape he wanted. Now his arms and legs were free to torture Anna more.

"Help!", she shouted. "Gabriel, help me!", she cried again.

"He's not going to hear you, princess", the metamorph told her maliciously.

"Please, God, help me!", she cried one last time with all the strength that was left in her lungs.

His hands roamed harshly from Anna's neck to her breasts, and from her sides to her thighs, and his knees forced her legs to part. She fought back as strongly as she could, struggling to resist the torment, but he was too powerful for her weakened condition. The wound in her shoulder also seemed to worsen and it caused additional pain to her.

Sharp triangular nails appeared on the tips of his fingers and he rushed to rip Anna's clothes. Shredding her blouse from her shoulders, his hands moved lower on her breasts, his nails scarring her soft and sensitive flesh. Blood appeared through the deep scratches and the Nomad licked on it hungrily, his hands squeezing brutally her breasts. Anna was almost paralyzed by the pain and unable to react physically. The metamorph continued his assault, his nails now ripping her pants and scarring her things.

Then something odd happened. A bright blue light shone in the sky above the rapist and his victim, and it quickly expanded, almost turning the night into day. A female figure came forth from the light's source. She was dressed in ancient Egyptian priestess's robes and she was carrying a silver sword.

Feeling the change in the atmosphere and the presence of a force of good, the Nomad quickly turned his head towards the light, decreasing the strength of his grasp on the princess.

"What in the name of the Devil is going on…?", he uttered in shock.

"Isetnofret!", whispered Anna in relief and joy, recognizing the divine woman that had visited her a few days ago in a similar manner.

Isetnofret smiled to Anna reassuringly. She was there for her and she would protect her.

"Stand up, Nomad, and have your pathetic existence fight someone equal to you!", the priestess demanded of the metamorph as she came to stand on the ground, her blue light still surrounding her.

"What the hell do you want here? Do you think I'm afraid of you? Ha! If someone here is pathetic, that's you! You think that your toy-sword can harm me? Go back to your oblivion, fairy, and let me finish what I have started!", he replied rudely.

"Hearken to me! I will not let you continue with your evil plan! I will stop you whether you like it or not. Anna is under my protection!", she told him bravely.

"Unbelievable! You speak as if you can really offer protection to your little protégé! Let me laugh! Ha-ha-ha! When will you quit fooling humans, Setty? Don't you understand your power is ridiculously small and that I don't fear you?", he continued in is arrogant tone, his tentacles still holding Anna.

"But you fear me…!", a deep, manly voice that came out of nowhere spoke and a dark figure came out of the shadows. The Nomad, already too irritated, turned his head to the stranger that dared challenge him. But when he saw who the man was he froze.

The owner of the voice was a man indeed, tall and imposing, dressed in black. His long leather coat swung around his legs as he approached the metamorph steadily, without the smallest hint of fear in his heart. His peculiar, broad-trimmed fedora hid his eyes, but still, the Nomad had no problem identifying the man.

"It's… you! The Murderer!", the metamorph uttered in shock, silently cursing his bad luck.

Anna, alerted by the metamorph's words, forced herself back to total consciousness and turned her face to the stranger that had come to her aid.

"Gabriel…!", she exclaimed as she immediately recognized him.

"It's not possible that you are here!", the Nomad yelled to Van Helsing.

"Nothing is impossible", he replied coolly. "Funny we keep running into each other, don't you think?", the hunter continued in a jokey yet ironic and threatening tone, implying some past encounters he had with the Nomad. "Mark my words, it won't happen again", he said, his voice changing so that now it revealed self-confidence and also hatred, and he took out a strange dagger from his pocket. "Do you know what this is?" the hunter asked the Nomad and raised the dagger higher. It was bronze and its blade was serpent-like curved, ending in a sharp tip. "It's your ticket to hell. The way to kill you. Permanently, this time. But I won't make it quick and easy for you, scum. I will make you pay double and triple for every single hair of Anna's that you've even set your eyes upon", Van Helsing continued, his voice steady, stabbing the Nomad's heart and fake courage like a thousand daggers.

Isetnofret, who was watching from a short distance, took advantage of the Nomad's cowardice and attacked him, forcing him away from Anna with her sword. The priestess was also unprepared for Gabriel to appear, but she was very happy that he did. Now she could focus all her care and power to Anna, to protect her and help her come round. So, the divine woman lifted Anna's body and ascended somewhat, floating a few meters above the ground. Her brilliant blue light covered both the women and offered them a protective shield. She would keep Anna in safety while Gabriel would fight the Nomad. Truly, Isetnofret was very pleased that the scale now had started tilting to their side.

The Nomad, slowly getting over his first shock, quickly got up and stood opposite Van Helsing in a defensive stance.

"Luck won't be on your side all the time, murderer. And if we are not to meet again, it will be because you will be dead!", the metamorph threatened but his words had no effect on Gabriel.

"Sorry to disappoint you but I don't intend to die. Last time you were the lucky one. The only one of your kind to escape death. But that was last time, as I said", the hunter replied in the same cool tone and took a step closer to the metamorph, the dagger pointing threateningly before him.

"Hasn't Dracula taught you a lesson? Quit fooling around on earth, Gabriel. You are the Left Hand of God, after all. The Left Hand… Ha-ha-ha! Such humiliation! I wonder who your god's Right Hand is! Ha-ha-ha!", the Nomad laughed sarcastically, having regained his composure and poisonous way of speaking. He was attempting to make Gabriel feel perplexed and confused now, so as to take advantage of that. But Gabriel was no foolish amateur.

"You count for lower than zero compared to Dracula, scum", the hunter replied, instinctively revealing some kind of respect towards the now dead master of the vampires. "And I'll make you suffer worse for even pronouncing God's name…", he continued and tried a short attack on the Nomad. However, the metamorph was quick enough to avoid it and he quickly drew a sword out of nowhere.

"I know you are jealous of my tricks, murderer! Everybody is jealous of what they can't have!", he spat at the hunter and attacked him with the sword.

"Guess again, scum!", came Van Helsing's reply. Wasting no time, he put the dagger back in his pocket and drew the sword he had brought with him, the sword he had chosen for Anna. Gabriel could have never imagined that its first use would be this one.

The Nomad attacked but Van Helsing blocked the attack and pushed the metamorph away. The hunter was a master of swordfighting, even though he didn't use a sword too often. Then he raised the beautiful sword, readying himself to attack the Nomad, and it gleamed beneath the faint moonlight.

"A beautiful sword you got there, but it will do nothing to harm me!", the Nomad yelled at him.

"Come and try it if you like!", Gabriel yelled back.

The Nomad attacked again, but his attack had the same result as before with Gabriel deflecting it. But this time the metamorph had another idea. He used his enormous tentacles that were still present in his form to grab the hunter by the neck. Van Helsing though, managed to cut the tentacles with his sword before choking, and then he attacked his enemy.

The two adversaries attacked each other, parried and attacked again. It would seem that nobody would be the victor of this battle, when suddenly the Nomad managed to cut Van Helsing on his right thigh. The hunter grimaced in pain and kneeled on his left knee, so that his right leg would be free of supporting his weight. The Nomad smirked, certain of his forthcoming victory on Van Helsing, and moved towards him, ready to decapitate the hunter.

"Told you you won't be always lucky, murderer. Victory is mine!", the metamorph hissed triumphantly and attacked.

Gabriel, though, still kept his temper. He let the metamorph come close enough and then he suddenly leaned on his back, thus bringing his feet against the Nomad's stomach and kicking him away, sending him several meters farther.

"Victory is not judged yet", the hunter told him as he forced himself back to his feet.

Overwhelmingly enraged now, the Nomad sprang to his feet with feline easiness and made a spear appear in his hand. He threw it violently at Gabriel's direction but the hunter bent down and rolled on his back, avoiding it. Van Helsing propped himself again on his left knee and looked at the Nomad opposite him. He was holding his sword again and was coming towards the hunter, determined to finish him off this time. But this was exactly the moment Gabriel was waiting for. With great speed he drew the lethal dagger from his pocket and sent it flying with a lightning's velocity towards the rushing Nomad. The dagger found its target and wedged itself right between the metamorph's eyes, who fell backwards and onto the ground with a thud.

The two women, having watched the battle from a safe distance, now came to stand on the ground. Anna felt better and with the help of Isetnofret's powers her wounds were quite healed. She made a move to run to Gabriel but the priestess kept her by her side. Not yet, she told her.

Gabriel noticed the women coming down on the ground, but he was not done with his vengeance yet. He slowly approached the dying Nomad, kneeled beside him and looked over him.

"You… were… lucky…. again", the nomad said in a dying voice, barely audible.

"I see no signs of regrets on you. But I promised you something, scum. And I always keep my promises", Van Helsing said and drew the dagger from the Nomad's face.

"No…!", he pleaded but Gabriel wouldn't listen to him.

He was going to make him suffer. He lifted the bronze dagger and stabbed the metamorph's chest with all his power. He lifted it again and stabbed him again and again and again, until his enemy was covered in blood. But he wasn't dead yet.

"Don't you ever die, scum?", he yelled with hatred in his voice. "Maybe I should try something else then!", he said and drew his sword. With one strong blow, he cut of the metamorph's right arm, and then his left, while the Nomad was screaming in agony. "I will tear you limb from limb, I'll make you pay for hurting Anna", Gabriel continued in his low, threatening voice. Then he cut off the metamorph's legs, and with a final blow he decapitated his enemy. Blood was springing out from the cut arteries and veins, creating a horrible sight. Finally Van Helsing took the dagger again and buried it deep inside the Nomad's heart until no more of the blade could be seen.

Anna managed to escape from Isetnofret and she ran to Gabriel who was still on his knees beside the mutilated Nomad.

"Gabriel!", she cried and he turned his face to her. She could see that his eyes were dark, still burning with hatred. "Gabriel, please, enough with the atrocities! Please, for my sake…", she begged him, already feeling sick at the sight, even though she had seen similar or perhaps even worse things her entire life.

At the sight of Anna Van Helsing grew softer and his eyes glowed hazel again. Looking back to the maimed Nomad, he felt sick himself.

"I am a murderer…", he whispered sorrowfully.

"No, don't say that now…", she tried to comfort him.

"Oh, Anna, I would die if I lost you!", he cried and hugged her tightly, tears now running freely down his cheeks. "Why did you go out on your own? Why did you do this to me? Why?"

"I didn't… I was deceived. The metamorph, he transformed into you… He fooled me! I was so stupid!", she cried, while tears appeared in her eyes as well.

"Shhh, you couldn't have known… Just tell me that you are alright now. Has that scum hurt you much? Your clothes are shredded and you've got scars! My love, what have you suffered…!", he exclaimed in sorrow and love.

"I am much better now, thanks to Isetnofret", Anna said and looked at the priestess. She smiled to her protégé but kept her discreet distance from the couple. They needed a moment for themselves, after all. "But he would rape me… He hurt me, Gabriel! He hurt me and he humiliated me…! I've never felt so awful in my life before!", she said and her body started to tremble at the remembrance of what had happened just some minutes ago. Gabriel felt her shaking in his arms and his heart broke.

"Hey, hey, now… everything is past now. Everything is alright. You are safe in my arms, and I love you. I love you!", he told her lovingly and kissed her forehead. His words seemed to soothe Anna who stopped shaking, but she kept crying silently. "And… I had a gift for you", he told her reluctantly, thinking of the gift's use and condition now.

"Had?", she asked among her silent sobs.

"Well, I'm not sure if you'll want it now. It's the sword. The sword I used to fight the Nomad… and mutilate him", he replied in the same manner.

"It'll make the best of gifts, I assure you!", she said firmly, confident about herself again. Taken aback by her sudden change, Gabriel took a moment to look her in the eye. That woman kept fascinating him all the time. She was a true warrior… But that moment didn't last long as she grabbed the back of his head with both her hands, tangling her fingers in his hair, and kissed him vigorously, realizing how much she had missed him. Gabriel was startled at first, but quickly gave in to her kiss and kissed her back. Anna was the first to break the kiss and smiled to him. "Thank you", she whispered, and it was followed by "I love you". Gabriel smiled back to his lover and then they both turned to the brilliant blue light that expanded from Isetnofret and showered them.

"I have to leave now", she told them. "Everything is as they should be for now, but you must leave Alexandria the soonest possible. I've told you once and I'm telling you again. Only in Rome will you be safe", she told the couple.

"Isetnofret… thank you", Anna felt the necessity to tell her.

"Thank the man beside you. I did nothing", she said and Anna and Gabriel looked at each other.

Suddenly Anna remembered the riddle. Isetnofret knew its meaning!

"Isetnofret, one last question, please… What about the riddle? Is the solution we gave correct?", she asked her in anticipation.

"I cannot answer your question for it is not my place. Time will come for you to get the answers to all the riddles… Love and protect each other. Farewell!", she said and then disappeared into her blue light, which soon afterwards vanished as well.

The two lovers were now left alone in the black night.

"What are we going to do with the carcass?", Anna asked and they turned to where the body lay. To their surprise, it was gone and replaced by yellow-gray ashes.

"By the looks of things, there's not much we can do. Requiescat in pace…", said Van Helsing and did the sign of the cross. Then he tried to walk but the cut on his thigh was still open and shot pain in him, causing him to exhale an anguished short breath.

"Gabriel? Oh my god, you're injured! Come, I'll take care of you. The Citadel isn't far…", she told him.

"Don't worry, it's nothing serious", he assured her. "But yes… I guess we should be going."

"Yes… Carl will be wondering where we are all these hours!"

"And I had told him we would meet at dinner… dammit!"

"What?"

"We missed dinner!"

"Are you always like that?"

"Like what?"

"Making fun after killing."

"Is that an accusation?"

"No."

"Well, yes, I am. Pretty much."

"I like that."

"Really?"

"Yes. I feel I'm starting to know you better."

"Oh. Alright, I guess. Maybe you can tell me then about me, because I have no clue!"

"Gabriel!"

"Except for that fluent riddle, of course."

"Gabriel…!"

"Alright, don't bite me! I was just joking!"

"When I first met you, back in Transylvania, I could never think that you could actually joke."

"Same here."

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome."

"Oh, don't give me that look!"

"I'm only teasing you, Anna, calm down…"

"Teasing me?"

"Yes…"

"Should I believe you?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I love you, Anna."

"Oh, Gabriel… I love you too!"

**Author's note:** _OMG that was a really looooong chapter! The longest I've written so far! Well folks, I hope you liked it and I didn't bore you to death. But there's only one way to tell me what you think: yessss! Review!_


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's note:** _Hello lovelies! I'm sorry it took me quite long to update, but I'm currently working on another story too. Anyway, that's a smooth and sexy chapter, written for your pleasure only! LoL I was kidding a bit! Oh and don't worry, plot will unfold further soon!_

_What's more, I got a new reviewer! **Celtic Aurora**, thank you a lot! And of course thanks go as well to my dear reviewers **Elwyndra**, **Shoysrock** and **AnnaVanHelsing1887**! __Thank you all, you rock!_

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll follow their journey to Rome with all of its events, and finally we'll get to learn something about who he really is. All the way, there will be an exploration of his relationship with her_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _No, I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie and you know that. I only own my own characters and plot._

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 20

After Anna and Gabriel had faced and killed the Nomad they returned to the Citadel. Their friends were worried, and especially Carl. The young friar said he had been looking for them all around the fort but couldn't find them. The lovers narrated briefly their adventure to their friends but urged them not to tell anybody else about it. There was no reason to get the rest of the monks or the people who were to leave the following day upset.

Indeed, early next morning Luka, Matteo, Mrs. Schaffer and father Antonio left Alexandria. They took ships to their destinations and prayed for a safe, this time, journey home.

The three close friends, together with Dr. Williams and Francesca, were now thinking of leaving Alexandria soon as well. The attacks of the sea demon's allies have shaken them for good. No one would want to risk their lives one more time. So, the preparations for their departure started. They had to find out when the next ship for Italy was sailing, and also to buy any necessary stuff for the journey.

Soon enough, they were informed that the next ship for Italy was sailing in two days. That was good news; they wouldn't have to wait long. The less they stayed in Alexandria, the less were the possibilities for them to be attacked again.

True enough, the day that followed the Nomad's attack passed without an unpleasant incident. Anna was feeling physically completely well now, and her psychology was also good; she was a warrior, a strong woman who had faced countless dangers her whole life. What's more, she hadn't actually been raped. Isetnofret and Gabriel came right in time to avert the sexual assault.

The attacks of the evil allies also had a side effect on Gabriel and Anna; they seemed to forget about the importance of the riddle and what it had revealed to them according to the interpretation they gave to it. Was this distraction perhaps a part in Vandul's plans? If it was, he had succeeded in that.

Finally the day of their departure came. Father Nicholaus together with two other monks escorted the five people to Alexandria's harbor. After gratitude was expressed, some tears shed, hugs shared and meeting-again promises exchanged, the five friends boarded Santa Lucia. Santa Lucia was a magnificent, huge sea vessel, built especially for long sea journeys, and the journey to Italy was bound to last many days. This is why the passengers were given cabins as well. Six people were to share a cabin, and, to their surprise, the passengers were given the chance to select the persons they would like to be in the same cabin with. This new arrangement intended to make it more convenient for families and also married couples to be able to stay together. Reasonably enough, the five friends chose to have a cabin for their own, and they would have a spare bed as well; the passengers that would travel from Egypt to Italy were not that many on that winter day.

After a few more arrangements Santa Lucia finally sailed off, bidding farewell to the north African coast. Some people were on the top deck despite of the cold weather. The sun was shining but did little to warm them. Gabriel and Anna were there too, while Carl, Francesca and Dr. Williams chose to enjoy their breakfast in a lower deck, protected from the cold.

Leaning on the gunwale, Anna let the cold wind blow her hair backwards. She was enjoying herself. The cold didn't bother her; the Transylvanian winter was far bitterer than the winter of north Africa. She let her gaze rest upon the promising horizon and tried to clear her mind of all disturbing thoughts.

Her lover took a moment to look at her and admire her. She looked majestic at that stance, almost divine. Her beautiful face was lit by the faint rays of the sun and her eyes seemed to glow with a light of their own. Gabriel felt he was falling in love with her over and over again. Wanting to share her peace and serenity, he slowly embraced her from behind. Anna shivered slightly under his touch and smiled, but didn't turn her face to him. Gabriel rested his chin on her left shoulder and closed his eyes, enjoying her sweet scent mixed with the salty sea breeze.

"You are so wonderful, Anna. I'm falling in love with you again and again and again…", he told her sweetly and nuzzled against her neck.

"Gabriel…", she said and turned to him. "I am nothing without you", the princess told him sincerely, her eyes locked with his.

"Shhh, don't say that… Come here", he said and embraced her lovingly.

"Gabriel, I have an awful feeling about the journey… Something bad will happen…", she said against his chest in a frightened voice.

"So do I… But I pray we are wrong", the hunter answered her. "Come, let's go below. It's getting cold up here."

The two of them soon joined their friends and took breakfast. Most of the day passed under good weather and with casual conversation among the five friends, and so did the following three days. The journey was pleasant, blessed with good omens by Poseidon, and each hour that passed brought them closer to Italy, brought them closer to safety.

The afternoon of the fourth day found by coincidence Carl and Francesca alone in the cabin. Gabriel and Anna had gone to the upper deck as they often liked to do, and Dr. Williams had gone for a walk around the ship, to explore its rooms and its people.

Francesca was reading a small book father Nicholaus had given to her as a present when Carl entered. She almost jumped from her seat at the sound of the door opening.

"Oh, Francesca, I didn't mean to scare you. I am sorry…", said Carl and lowered his head.

"It's alright, I was just too absorbed in the book that… It's good you came", the young girl told him and smiled.

"Really?"

"Yes… You are my best… friend here, Carl", she said and sat up.

Then Francesca took a couple of steps towards Carl, and he blushed. This girl made him feel a bit awkward.

"Is the… book you are reading a good one?", he asked her in an attempt to find something to say, to hide his nervousness.

"It is. But I bet it's nothing compared to the books you have read. You know so many things… About vampires and gargoyles, werewolves and warlocks, all the evil creatures on earth!", she exclaimed with admiration.

"Well, yes… If there's something I'm good at, that's reading", he replied, feeling more at ease now.

"You are so clever!", she exclaimed and then suddenly hugged him tightly. Carl was taken aback a little, but he enjoyed the hug and returned it.

They kept hugging each other for a while, taking pleasure in the feeling. But then uneasiness came creeping in between them and they slowly parted. However, their eyes locked, each of them trying desperately to read the eyes of the other.

It didn't take long; as if they were pushed by a superior force, they fell into each other's arms again. Now their faces were inches apart. Hesitating a bit at first, asking one another for reassurance, their lips finally brushed and then sealed in a kiss. The kiss was light at first, evidence of their shy natures, but soon it became deeper, all hesitations having been put aside now. Carl brought his hands to the back of her head and pulled her closer. Francesca complied and did the same. Soon the friar's hands traveled lower on her back and came to rest in the small of it, while he trailed his kisses down on her neck. She now had her hands on his shoulders and had thrown her head backwards, savoring his kisses. Sin, sweet sin…

Suddenly the door opened and the other couple of the group entered. Carl and Francesca immediately broke apart, confused and scared.

"Damn, Carl, I thought you wanted to become a monk!", said Gabriel and let himself laugh loudly for the first time since anyone could remember.

"Dammit, Van Helsing, why must you always appear when you are least expected?", the friar snapped, not feeling quite ashamed for having been caught in such a situation.

"My job, Carl", he replied rather amused. Anna was standing behind somewhat puzzled. What kind of a friar was Carl?

"You scared the hell out of us!", Car continued. Indeed, Francesca was quite hidden behind Carl's back. She was feeling ashamed.

"Look, I don't care what you do, it's your business", Gabriel got more serious.

"You won't tell Cardinal Jinette?", Carl asked worried.

"For God's sake, no! We aren't kids, Carl, grow up…"

"He is grown up, believe me", Anna intervened placing her hands on her hips, showing self-confidence about her implication.

"I see we've interrupted you, maybe we should leave", said Gabriel, trying hard to keep himself from laughing again.

"No no no, you haven't", Francesca hurried to say. Gabriel and Anna shouldn't think that she and Carl were about to have sex, even though they were. Carl gave her a weird look. He would rather they left.

"Anyway, enough with this stupidity. Where is the doctor?", Anna decided to put an end to this ridiculous scene.

"Oh, I don't know… I think he's taking a walk around the ship", Carl answered her, sounding now more like his usual self.

"We thought you'd might be interested in having dinner", said Anna, "that's why we came.

"Nice idea. Let's go", said Francesca and walked to the door. Anna walked behind her.

Carl moved to exit the door but Gabriel grabbed him by his shoulder and stopped him.

"Carl, I want you to do me a favor", he said in a low voice that presaged conspiracy.

"Am I gonna like it or not?"

"I want you to make sure our cabin will be empty for a couple of hours tonight."

"Hell no! How am I supposed to do it?", he reacted, adding on to his cursing variety.

"Carl…"

"What will I tell the others?"

"Carl…"

"It's not possible!"

"Carl!"

"I can't!"

"I'll tell Jinette."

"Which hours do you prefer?"

"Around midnight would be nice", Van Helsing said and patted Carl on the shoulder. Then he left for the dining room of the ship, and Carl followed him cursing his bad luck under his breath.

In the dining room they met with Robert again, who engaged in telling them about his exploration of the ship. It wasn't the most interesting thing ever but it helped time pass. Later in the night, around twelve, Gabriel and Anna met in the cabin. Carl managed to keep his forced promise and had taken Francesca and Robert to the ship's living room. Those two suspected the reason why this was happening and brought no opposition. A young couple needed their intimate moments, after all.

The cabin was lit by a few candles and the weird shadows that danced on the wooden walls created a creepy atmosphere. As soon as the two lovers entered the cabin they lost no time and started kissing and caressing each other immediately. They wouldn't have all night, after all.

"I want you, princess… It's been long… I missed you", he said huskily.

"So did I, hunter. You'll be mine tonight!", Anna said with a wicked grin. She would be aggressive tonight.

Indeed she was. With her hands on his shoulders she pushed Gabriel backwards and made him sit on his bed. Then she straddled him and sat on his thighs. Van Helsing pulled her closer so that their bodies were in full contact now and he was already burning with desire. Their lips were devouring each other's and their hands were hungrily savoring each other's flesh.

Anna quickly pulled Gabriel's shirt over his head and then she removed her corset and her blouse, allowing her lover's hands to cup and fondle her breasts. His touch made her let out moans of pleasure at times, but she kept looking at him. She wanted to see pleasure expressed on his face. The princess let the hunter play with her, kiss her, lick her and suck her as much as he wanted, and then she decided to do something herself. She reached between them with her hand and touched his hardness. Gabriel instantly closed his eyes and growled as her skilled hand sent waves of shivering delight all over him. Then she undid his belt and slid her hand inside his pants, grabbing him hard. Gabriel gasped and needed to prop himself on his elbows to contain the ultimate satisfaction she was giving him. Then she dragged his pants downwards a bit so that he was released, and continued working on his shaft, each touch bringing him closer to his orgasm.

"Wait, Anna, wait. Take off your pants", he urged her and grabbed her naughty hand.

She obeyed and quickly tossed her pants aside. Then she straddled him again, already feeling hot and wet in her entrance. Gabriel grabbed her firm butt and stroked it a bit before reaching with his hand under her, between her legs, and touching her private spot. It was Anna's turn now to gasp in pleasure as her lover's fingers caressed softly her folds and throbbing bud before sliding inside her. At that both of them moaned with delight, being now completely ready for the penetration. Eventually, Anna lifted herself a bit and Gabriel entered her forcefully, burying himself inside her at once. Anna wrapped her legs around his waist to make the penetration even deeper and then their bodies started rocking at the rhythm of their passion. When Anna reached her orgasm she leaned backwards a little, to make it more pleasurable, supporting herself with her hands on Gabriel's knees. After the waves of her orgasm had washed over her, she resumed moving her body rhythmically to help her lover reach his orgasm. Soon he did so and emptied his load into her. They remained in that position for a while, with him being still inside her, until their breaths and heartbeats returned to normal.

"It was… great!", she whispered to his ear. "And fast", she added with a chuckle.

"Yeah…", he replied and stood still for a moment, pondering the feelings they had just shared. "We better dress now, I don't think it will be long before the others return", he said after a while, coming out of his dreamy world.

"You're right", Anna said and stood up, quickly reaching for her nightgown. She was suddenly feeling as if something was missing from her. It felt so good to have him against her, to feel him against her wetness, that now that the feeling was over she already missed it.

Gabriel, on his side, shared similar feelings to his lover's. The warmth of her wetness against him was a feeling that he now longed to enjoy again. But he knew that it couldn't be possible, given the circumstances. So, keeping the joy and satisfaction of their lovemaking, he changed into his sleeping pants and got into bed. Soon Anna joined him and rested her head against his shoulder. They had separate beds, but tonight they wanted to be together, to sleep in each other's warm embrace.

A little later, after they had fallen asleep, Carl, Francesca and Robert returned to the cabin. They hesitated a bit before entering, but since absolute silence reigned, they decided to come in. The couple was sleeping quietly in Gabriel's bed.

"They look so peaceful…", Francesca whispered to Carl and then they smiled to each other, thinking that they would love to be in Gabriel and Anna's place now. However, they shouldn't rush for anything. Francesca was only a girl of seventeen, after all.

The doctor said goodnight to the two others and quickly fell asleep. Soon, Francesca and Carl drifted away to sleeping as well. The few, little candles were still lit, causing the shadows to dance weirdly on the wooden walls, as the ship moved smoothly through the waves. Deep in their sleep, nobody could have noticed that one shadow was not exactly like the others, that one shadow had no object to create it…

**Author's note:** _A little cliffie, yay! I know you like cliffies, don't you? If you want to know what the hell this freaking shadow is about (sorry for the language!), gimme reviews! They are highly appreciated, you know, and I always reply them all! Till next time, reviewers and readers, take care!_


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's note:** _Hi everybody! Missed ya! Sorry I didn't update earlier, but life's cruel, you know… Anyway, here's the chapter where you'll read about this freaking little shadow! Hope you like what I wrote, but if you don't, please don't kill me!_

_**Celtic Aurora**__**Elwyndra**__**Shoysrock**__ and __**AnnaVanHelsing1887**__, my beloved faithful reviewers, thank you a hundred times for your reviews! You give me strength to go on! I wouldn't have made it so far without you!_

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll follow their journey to Rome with all of its events, and finally we'll get to learn something about who he really is. All the way, there will be an exploration of his relationship with her_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _No, I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie and you know that. I only own my own characters and plot._

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 21

Everyone in the cabin was sleeping quietly, each lost in their own world of dreams- or nightmares. The ship was still sailing in the Mediterranean sea, cutting graciously and steadily through the waves, and everything seemed to be in place and order.

However, there was one thing that escaped this general rule. It also escaped everyone's attention, and now it was moving on the wooden wall and towards the lovers' bed. The mysterious abnormality was a shadow, a shadow with no material source to be created of, a shadow that moved on its own will, a shadow that would exist even under no light's presence…

Just like everybody else, Gabriel and Anna were sleeping, not the least aware of the unnatural presence so near to them now. Or, at least, the shadow thought that they were not aware.

But the hunter was no inexperienced amateur so tat a creepy shadow could escape his notice totally. Moreover, his keen sense of evil always proved of great help in such situations when the enemy was difficult to be seen. As a matter of fact, Van Helsing's eyes snapped open when the creeping shadow started moving towards his bed.

Not wanting to alert Anna, he remained at his place, not moving a finger. Only his eyes were now narrowed and scanning the room for the source of evil that he felt so clearly. Van Helsing observed his friends; they were sleeping quietly in their beds. Everything surrounding them was normal, and the shadows on the wooden walls continued their creepy dance at the rhythm of the candlelight's flickering.

The shadows… suddenly a thought crossed Gabriel's mind. Could it be that the enemy was hiding in the shadows? He lifted his head a bit to observe them more carefully. The creeping shadow took notice of the hunter's slight move and slowly slid under his bed, blending perfectly with the darkness.

Gabriel felt that the source of evil was too close now, but still he couldn't place it. Not having any advantage on his enemy this time, he decided to stay still and pretend to be sleeping. He would wait for the enemy to make his move first and reveal himself. Van Helsing cast one last short glance to the pistol and the knife he had placed on a chair beside his bed and then closed his eyes. He was now counting on deceiving the enemy so that he would come out with the thought that the field was ready for him to take his evil action.

Much time passed by, perhaps even hours, and nothing seemed to change. There was nothing to be heard in the cabin; a deadly silence reigned. The shadow was patiently waiting for the right time to move. And when at last it decided to move, Gabriel was on the verge of falling asleep. The shadow started to slowly slide out from under the bed, hoping that the hunter had fallen asleep. But he had not. The sudden movement of the source of evil alerted him again, and this time he understood where it was. Moving like a thunder, he reached for the knife on the chair, grabbed it and then with a leap he was on the floor, stabbing it fiercely. But it was not actually the floor that he stabbed. A horrible shriek was heard from the wounded shadow that woke everyone up. Everybody jumped from their beds with their hearts pounding like drums.

"Oh my God what happened?", cried Anna.

"Van Helsing? What are you doing down there?", Carl yelled.

"Stabbing an enemy!", the hunter shouted in response.

"Oh, Carl, I'm scared!", cried Francesca and jumped over to Carl's bed and into his hug.

"Don't panic, please…", the doctor tried to calm the others down.

"Gabriel are you alright? What is this…black thing under you?", Anna asked him in a worried voice and quickly reached for her sword.

"It's the enemy! I stabbed it!", he answered her.

"En-enemy? Is it… dead now?", Carl asked frightened and Francesca shrank in his hug.

Before Gabriel had the time to answer his friend, the shadow dissolved from under his body and disappeared for a moment, leaving everybody to wonder what had just happened. But soon enough, a reddish solid figure started to form right where the shadow had disappeared. Gabriel was on his knees on the floor while this weird sight was taking place in front of his eyes. The figure grew larger and larger and started to take form. Then it suddenly spread its wings open, knocking the hunter backwards so that he fell on his back. Blood was now streaming down from the scratches on his face and naked chest. The figure now floated above the floor in all of its demonic glory. He was reddish, had devilish wings with thorns and a long tail instead of legs, and his eyes were blacker than the night itself.

"Oh my God…! It's Vandul! The sea demon! That black shadow was you!", Anna exclaimed in fear and awe.

"Indeed. Blood of Dracula, I see we meet again. How unpleasant. You should have died by now, but the Nomad was a fool! Mark my words, this is the last time we meet", he said in his imposing voice. Vandul looked exactly the same way they remembered him, only he had chosen to lower the scale of his body's size so that he would fit in the cabin.

"But that's impossible!", Carl cried. "You are supposed to appear only once a year, when the January moon is full!"

"Rules are to be broken", the demon answered coldly.

"You violated the laws of your confinement…", Gabriel growled in a steady low voice that sounded very threatening, and stood up, ignoring his bleeding wounds.

"You have no power over me, Avenger. You and Dracula's Blood shall die! My allies failed to do so, but now you will die of my hand!", Vandul yelled at the hunter.

"You can try", Van Helsing challenged him bravely. Once more, there wasn't the slightest hint of fear in his voice.

The demon let out an angry roar and flew towards the hunter. But right in time a brilliant blue light appeared and Isetnofret came out of it, holding her sword before her. Vandul stopped his attack.

"Isetnofret! You again! Stay out of this!", the demon yelled.

"No I will not! I tried to stop you once and I didn't succeed. This time I will not fail! I will not let you take the lives of those precious people!", she told him angrily and glared at him.

"Since when do you care about others? I knew you only cared about how to remain eternally young!", Vandul said sarcastically and then let out a horrible laughter.

"You broke the rules that were placed upon you!", she accused him.

"So did you, when you had this man save your soul!", he yelled back and pointed to Gabriel with a claw. "Now move away! You are no match for me. Stand against me and I'll kill you with no remorse!"

"Leave, I beg of you in the name of our ancient sacred love!", she cried and this made the five friends look at each other puzzled.

"There is no love! You betrayed me! You let them take me! So stop talking about love, hypocrite!", Vandul spat his accusations to Isetnofret.

"No!"

"I will kill you before I kill them!", he said and flew forcefully towards Isetnofret. She tried to block his attack with her sword but his claws smashed it to shards. Then he put his clawed hand around her neck, chocking her.

"Let her go, you monster!", Anna yelled and attacked Vandul with her sword. The small cut she managed to do on him enraged the demon and kicked her away with his tail. He would first kill Isetnofret and then the rest as well.

"You're here for us, not for her!", Gabriel shouted at the demon and attacked him with the knife, only to be knocked down again by his wing.

"Shut up, Left Hand. You're next!", Vandul shrieked and was now choking Isetnofret to death.

"Gabriel… His… wrists…", were the last words that Isetnofret managed to utter.

Then Vandul tossed her lifeless body aside and it fell on the floor without a sound. Anna ran to her and kneeled beside her with tears in her eyes.

"Isetnofret, no…please don't die! No!", she cried, but there was no response to come from the divine woman. Soon the blue light around her fainted and disappeared. Her body followed the same path soon, and now there was nothing left of Isetnofret. She may have died many times, but now she had died as a spirit, too, and there was no going back. Anna stayed still, unable to move, while tears were running down her cheeks. She was shocked.

Meanwhile, after killing his ancient lover, Vandul started to approach Gabriel. The hunter took a few steps backwards, always holding the small knife before him.

"Watch the Avenger die, Blood of Dracula!", the demon yelled to Anna and then raised his clawed hands to attack Van Helsing.

Isetnofret's last words suddenly flashed in Gabriel's mind. She had spoken about his wrists… As Vandul was about to bring his hands down and strike the hunter, he quickly reacted and grabbed the demon's wrists, trying to avert his attack with all his strength.

"Aaarghhh!", Vandul shrieked. Isetnofret had betrayed his secret, the secret that made him weaker... But he would not give up. He still was stronger than any human.

Gabriel kept clutching the demon's wrists hard and tried to push him backwards, but to no avail. Everyone was watching the scene speechless, frozen at their places, as Vandul pinned the hunter against the wooden wall, making him hit his head hard on it. Pain shot through his body and brought him dizziness, but he was determined to never surrender. Gabriel felt his elbows bending under the demon's surmounting pressure. Soon Vandul's claws had reached the hunter's neck and face, threatening to sink into his flesh. Gabriel collected every last bit of strength that was left in him and tried to push the demon away.

Then something weird happened. As Van Helsing was applying all of his force against Vandul's pressure, a silver light appeared as if from inside the hunter and washed all over him. Everyone in the cabin felt they would be blinded by the light's brightness, and so did Vandul, who was utterly frightened by what was now happening. Gabriel gave one last shove against the demon and then Vandul fell backwards and broke into millions of reddish pieces, as if he was made of glass. Then the pieces disappeared; they were now scattered forever into the abysmal, oblivious depths of Hell.

After the demon's death, the blinding silver light that had appeared from inside Gabriel disappeared all of a sudden. The hunter turned his eyes upwards for a moment, as if he wanted to look into the heavens. Then he let his eyelids cover his eyes, his knees bend and his consciousness slip into blackness, and collapsed face down on the floor…

**Author's note:** _Well, hope you liked the chappie! Sorry it's not really long… Promise the next one will be longer! Now you know what to do… Press the magic button down there and give me a review:)_

_There's a special addition to this chapter now… My friend and reviewer __**Celtic Aurora**__ found this song and thought that its lyrics fit to the story. I agree with you Aurora! They fit Gabriel and Anna nicely! So people, do you agree with us? And don't forget to check Aurora's story! It's great! Now here goes the song:_

**Rebirthing**

I lie here paralytic  
Inside this soul  
Screaming for you till my throat is numb  
I wanna break out I need a way out  
I don't believe that it's gotta be this way  
The worst is the waiting  
In this womb I'm suffocating

Feel your presence filling up my lungs with oxygen  
I take you in  
I've died

Rebirthing now  
I wanna live for love wanna live for you and me  
Breathe for the first time now  
I come alive somehow  
Rebirthing now  
I Wanna live my life wanna give you everything  
Breathe for the first time now  
I come alive somehow

I lie here lifeless  
In this cocoon  
Shedding my skin cause  
I'm ready to  
I wanna break out  
I found a way out  
I don't believe that it's gotta be this way  
The worst is the waiting  
In this womb I'm suffocating

_(Bridge)_  
Tell me when I'm gonna live again  
Tell me when I'm gonna breathe you in  
Tell me when I'm gonna feel inside  
Tell me when I'm gonna feel alive

Tell me when I'm gonna live again  
Tell me when this fear will end  
Tell me when I'm gonna feel inside  
Tell me when I'll feel alive


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's note:** _Hello everyone again! I'm sorry it took me a century to update the story, but it's unbelievable how busy I am with classes! I've got very little free time, and I'm usually tired during this time, so I'm not in the best of states to get down to writing… Anyway, here is now chapter 22, and it was quite hard to write; it took me many days to decide about how it should finally look… It's kinda different from the previous ones in the way that it does not contain any dialogue, but I hope you will nevertheless like it! And please, give me a review! I put an effort in the chapter and I'd like to know what you think of it. You know how much I appreciate your reviews, and I always take them into account before writing further._

_Once more I will thank from the depths of my heart __**Shoysrock,**__**Celtic Aurora**__**Elwyndra**__, and __**AnnaVanHelsing1887**__ for their valuable reviews! And I really wish there were more people I would thank in my author's note every time…_

_One last thing, when writing this chapter I was greatly __inspired by various songs, and I have contained some lyrics as well as blended lyrics with narration. I thought that they expressed what I wanted to say in the best way possible. The songs are mostly from the album "Days of Purgatory" by Iced Earth and also from "Alternative 4" by Anathema._

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll follow their journey to Rome with all of its events, and finally we'll get to learn something about who he really is. All the way, there will be an exploration of his relationship with her_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _No, I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie and you know that. I only own my own characters and plot._

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 22 

At first there was nothing he could sense; his mind was in a condition of total blackness. Nothing from the outer world could penetrate his mental walls, no voices were to be heard and no pictures were to flash before his mind's eyes.

But then gradually a small light started to appear in his mind. That light was of the very same color as the one that had shone through Gabriel a few minutes ago, when he defeated Vandul, and now the bright silver ray of light started to cross the black valleys of his mind, revealing to him things he had, or had not, seen before.

Various pictures started to flash through his mind, one following another rapidly, and they were often confused and unclear. He saw himself on golden clouds, with huge white wings sprouting from his back, and he was naked and pure, walking in green valleys, swimming in crystal rivers and flying over forests and mountains; and then suddenly the picture changed and he was falling in the abyss, burning in damnation, with eternal darkness surrounding him. He was feeling hopeless and frightened, when he saw a man that looked younger than him coming from above, with long blonde hair and blue eyes. The man had a pair of white wings and was holding a sword that blazed with purple and gold fire, while a ruby aura surrounded him. The man was calling to Gabriel as he descended, speaking a tongue the hunter had never heard before. But strangely enough, he heard himself speaking that very tongue too, and he could easily understand every single word they were saying. The young man seemed oddly familiar to him, but still he couldn't name him. Gabriel heard himself pleading the divine man to grant him salvation and he was reaching desperately to grab the man's hand and be saved from the abyss, but before he did the vision disappeared and his mind went black again.

And while Gabriel's mind was in this confused and still unconscious state, his body was burning with fever and violent tremors would shoot through it at times, exhausting him and weakening his condition even more. Sweat would pour from his body and his lips were dry. His eyes would not open the slightest bit not even for a second, and his breathing was often labored, as if a burden had suddenly been placed upon his chest.

Anna was dead-worried about her lover's condition. Three days had passed since the night of Vandul's defeat and Gabriel had not come back to consciousness at all since he had fainted. She spent all time by his side, holding his head, cooling his burning body, moisturizing his lips with water and trying to soothe his often trembling body. She would also talk to him. She talked to him about how much she loved him, how much she needed him and all the things they dreamed of sharing in the future. She would also tell him how much she liked the sea, how much she enjoyed the cool winter wind blowing through her hair, how much she loved the first autumn rain when she was a little girl. Anna spoke to him about himself, too. She talked to him about his quest of discovering who he was, his bravery and courage when facing evil, his tenderness and passion when he made love to her… The princess would not get tired of talking to him; she secretly hoped that he was able to hear her words, that he could feel her soft and caring touch in his depths of unconsciousness and that he would at last give a sign to her that he was still there and that he would be alright soon. But she did not receive such a sign. For days and days Gabriel's body seemed to suffer on its own, with nothing connecting him to the real world and apparently nothing being able to wake him up from the nightmarish world that kept torturing his soul.

Carl and Dr. Williams were also very much worried. Neither of them could connect Gabriel's condition to a specified disease; it seemed as if a supernatural power was the cause for his suffering and there was nothing the two of them could do about it. Carl and Francesca engaged themselves with great care in helping Anna. They would often help her taking care of him and trying to make him suffer less, if that was possible. Carl would also stay all night long beside his friend, talking to him and keeping company to Anna as well. Robert, on his side, would check the hunter's vitals at a regular basis, trying to either specify a disease for his state or spot an improvement of his condition.

But Gabriel was not the least aware of what his friends were doing for him with so much love and care. His brain, even though excluded from connecting to reality, was working feverishly, projecting his existence in a surreal, but not imaginary, world. The stage of the rapid succession of images had now subsided, only to give its place to longer-lasting scenes. Gabriel was not sure whether he was familiar with them or not. Were these all truth? Were these all lies? He could not find the answers to those questions, and he wasn't allowed much time to think about them either.

At a time when his body was shaking under another violent tremor and his mind had gone blank for a while, an image started to take form inside his head. The tremor slowly died, and the image was to be clearly seen now; it was the blond man again with the beautiful wings and the blazing sword. Only this time he didn't appear in glory, descending from above. He simply stood before Gabriel, surrounded by bittersweet darkness, while a faint silver light flickered in the distance. The young man's face was sorrowful but compassionate. Slowly, he thrust the edge of his sword into the darkness below him and the flames faded away. Then he lifted his left arm and pointed vaguely towards the light. The man began singing in a melodic, yet sad voice, in that very tongue Gabriel had heard him speaking again before. If the man's words were to be translated, he would have sung something like that:

Go now, into the plains  
Seek out, the answers you'll find  
Visions will be shown to you  
At night by the lit desert moon

Be strong, ride forth in pride  
Our destiny, lies in your hands  
Visions will be shown to you  
You're truly His chosen one

As the divine man's song ended, the image slowly vanished, and the silver light shone for a moment brightly before being swallowed up by darkness. Gabriel was now alone with himself in his mind's dark plains, while the winged man's song still echoed, as if it was to make sure that it should not be forgotten. Then he saw bright white wings spreading wide from behind his back again and he was now ascending, as if moved by the divine man's song. A bright yellowish light appeared in the distance, and he started flying towards the source of the light, looking deep in the horizon. As he traveled through the astral plains he could see the break ahead as though the sky had burst in flames. Gabriel dreaded before the storm that would soon break out; lightning tore the blackish blue sky in two, and now he could see heavenly riders riding on dismal clouds, and demons storming through the night. He wanted to scream as he felt that the time for the storm to break out was approaching, but he could not. He wanted to scream as the war would soon begin, but he could not…

And then the storm did break out and the battle did start, and Gabriel found himself a spectator in it. The heavenly clouds were grey and heavy, and they lowered themselves upon the ground, the ground that was sowed with deadly thorns and icy rocks. Angels were coming from the darkened Heavens, carrying the essence of His love, while Hell was spitting demons through the dry ground, and they challenged the divine ones to do battle. And so it was done, and it was the most terrifying battle Gabriel had ever witnessed. The army of the Heavens took defence against the attacking army of Hell, which was now unleashing an attack of utmost hate and the filthiest lies. The demonic fury raged, and the divine creatures' defences would not hold for long. Eyeing the forthcoming victory, the evil army started to chant eerily and their chant would have been understood by the mortals like that:

We paint the sky with blood tonight  
Setting free the damned to fight  
The whore of Babylon is here  
The end of the storm is near

Pure evil  
Feel the pain from the jackals wrath  
Pure evil  
Dance in flames for the final quest

Hear the ghost of violence  
Fear the God of detriment

The land on earth is soaked with blood  
Hear the screams of the helpless ones

Axes yield and daggers fly  
Ripping through all flesh in sight

We paint the sky with blood tonight  
Setting free the damned to fight  
The whore of Babylon is here  
The end of the storm is near

Slain angels and demons now covered the clouds and the ground and everything was now soaking in abundant pure angelic red blood mixed with a little of the blackish blood of the demons. Evil came victorious out of this battle, painting the clouds black, while dark, thick smoke came to lie upon the ground. Gabriel found himself walking on the unholy ground, his legs buried into the mist, and he was naked and human, vulnerable and defenceless, a prey to evil's forces. The longer he wandered in the darkness, the more he would feel the battle's deadly consequences upon himself. He felt now darkness dwelling in his soul, and it was a feeling threatening to drag him down to damnation, a feeling beyond his control. He was certain of nothing any more. He could see his past now like a huge mirror that was suddenly shattered to pieces, pieces that were falling like broken dreams among the dead, sinking into the smoke and threatening to disappear into oblivion. Gabriel wanted to scream, but again no voice would come out. Instead, the smoke slowly started to clear, and the most horrible figure of the eternal time appeared in front of him in all of its abominable glory. It was Satan himself, and a helpless Gabriel was now facing the serpent god's apocalyptic smile… And Satan decided to torture Gabriel in the way he always had. He sent nightmares to him, nightmares in the form of horrible demons, and their chant of hatred would be this:

The feeling that you get when we creep inside  
You won't see us there, you won't feel our stare  
But when we're next to you we do all we can do  
To get the cold sweat out, watch you squirm about  
And as you try to move we grab and strangle you  
With all of your deceit and our reality

Night  
Nightmares  
In the night

Hell is coming down, your fate has turned around  
Too scared to make a sound  
Now you're frozen there in your human shell  
It's a nightmare I am the god of fear

Night  
Nightmares  
In the night

Exactly at that time a new wave of fever shot through the hunter's body and it was worse than the previous ones, causing him to suffer terribly. His internal suffering was evident on his face. Angst and terror were shouting their existence through Gabriel's twitched features, and yet no scream or shout would be allowed to escape Gabriel's lips. Anna, sensing her beloved one's inner torture and realising the fact that she was incapable of truly helping him, started to cry silently. She lowered her cheek on his head and her hot tears made their way down to his burning forehead. She was now feeling desperate. Was this situation never going to change? Wouldn't Gabriel finally open his eyes and smile to her ever again? No, this should not be the end… She prayed that he would recover soon, before the sea journey ended. She prayed that he would come back to her and love her again. She prayed that she would welcome him back and love him again.

It could have been an effect of Anna's prayers or perhaps something totally irrelevant to it, but Gabriel's fever gradually subsided and his breathing became steadier. In his mind now the picture had changed. The image of Satan and his apocalyptic smile was gone, and gone was the battle scene and the nightmarish demons, too. Gabriel could see himself with his mind's eyes in a peaceful, but unspecified place. A bright light was showering the soft clouds making them glow golden. Gradually the place started to take shape, and crystal rivers and green valleys appeared beneath the clouds. Figures of heavenly creatures started appearing in the distance and they slowly came and surrounded Gabriel. They formed a circle around him and started a celestial dance that was accompanied by a chant. They were praising God in His glory, and it was the most wonderful song Gabriel had ever heard. The angels seemed not to sense his presence; he could be there and not be seen, being a secret spectator of the glory of the Heavens. Then suddenly the angels stopped their dancing and chanting, and that same winged man appeared from behind them. He walked towards Gabriel and his sword was blazing again with purple and gold fire, and that same ruby aura surrounded him. The man came and stood before Gabriel and he sang to him once more:

Look up to the sky, see the moonlit night  
The winter night sends shivers up your spine  
But it's deep inside your mind that's where you may find  
Inner demons and your desire  
Don't give up, don't you ever give up

If you find you've crossed that line  
Then it's time, a state of mind  
Believe in what you see  
Our sacrifice, reality

The charred remains of the holy rollers  
Scream repentance though it's far too late  
Fear the angels' holocaust, they're screaming  
Dreams of pain forever entering your head

Wipe the tears from yesterday  
A time for change, take the pain away.

Angel, my destiny  
Can you feel me?

With that the winged young man and the heavenly scene disappeared and Gabriel was left alone in his mind again, contemplating the meaning of the man's sayings. Trapped in his ignorance and human imperfection, trapped in his human shell as the nightmare demons had called it, he would not see a way out of this. He felt frozen and lost, a man with no past and no future. His soul begged for deliverance, to be helped through this inner hell, to be saved from the torture that was tearing him apart. Then, as if his prayer had been heard, the sound of a trumpet was heard in the darkness of his mind, and he broke free from his shell. For a moment he was allowed to see the truth, a vision of him he couldn't believe it was true, a vision that gave him the feeling that the end of his quest was close at hand. He felt that he had reached the end; he felt that his life was slowly fading away. It was a vision that left him wondering what it was that he had done, why he was His chosen one…


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's note:** _Hi! At last I updated again and please forgive me for the delay! You know how much busy I am…Anyway, thanks again to__** Elwyndra, **__**Shoysrock, **__**AnnaVanHelsing1887, **__and__** Celtic Aurora**__ (my good buddy!) for your wonderful reviews! I'm so happy that you liked chapter 22, because when I wrote it and then posted it I was thinking that it might look a bit weird, compared to the previous chapters… Okay now I hope that you'll like this one too!_

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll follow their journey to Rome with all of its events, and finally we'll get to learn something about who he really is. All the way, there will be an exploration of his relationship with her_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _No, I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie and you know that. I only own my own characters and plot._

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 23 

It had been around twelve hours since the last image inside his mind disappeared. Since then, no other picture invaded his mental walls. Gabriel was now lying still in his bed. The tremors had vanished, his temperature was normal again and his breathing steady. All in all, he seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

Anna and Carl, who would not leave his side, always taking care of him, were pleasantly surprised by the change of his condition and they were given new hopes for his recovery, now waiting impatiently for the moment of his waking.

True enough, some time in early morning, when Carl had almost fallen asleep in a corner of the hunter's bed and Anna was lightly caressing his cheek with the back of her hand, Gabriel opened his eyes. Anna almost jumped from her place and blinked, wanting to make sure that what she saw was real and not a trick of her mind. Gabriel shifted slightly and turned his head to her. The expression on his face was difficult for Anna to read.

"Gabriel…?", she managed. Gabriel nodded and smiled softly. "Oh my God!", she cried and threw herself on him, hugging him tightly. Being robbed of the self-composure to say anything else in that very moment, she started crying silently with happiness. Carl was roused by her sudden cry, and so were Robert and Francesca who scurried over to the hunter's bed.

Van Helsing slowly returned Anna's embrace. He closed her in his arms and breathed in her scent deeply. He felt like he was rediscovering these feelings after a long time of loneliness and exclusion. They both sat up and unwillingly broke apart. Gabriel took a moment to look into her eyes and then he looked over to his friends, who were watching him with their breaths caught. A strange serenity was emitted from him towards the rest, a serenity that reached their souls and calmed their senses. Gabriel smiled at them.

"It's alright…", he said quietly, wanting to reassure them that there was no reason for them to worry any longer.

"Thank God you are back, Van Helsing!", Carl said happily and threw his arms around the hunter's neck, who patted the young friar's shoulder in response.

"Good to see you again, too, Carl", he said.

"I may say this is a miracle… Mr. Van Helsing, how are you feeling?", Robert voiced his question, obviously marveled by this extraordinary medical phenomenon.

"I am feeling… content", he replied and received inquisitive looks from everyone that led to an uncomfortable silence.

"You scared us all, Mr. Van Helsing", Francesca finally broke the awkward silence. Gabriel smiled to her warmly.

"I didn't mean to… But in my hours of unconsciousness I learned many things… I had some kind of… revelations", he said a bit hesitantly, trying to recall what he had seen, "that left me with a lot of questions, but of a different level", he finished.

"What does this mean, my love?", Anna asked him with concern.

"It means that I am sure for one thing now. The riddle, do you remember its lines? Well, I am sure now that we interpreted it correctly. And I know that every question of mine, about my identity and, more importantly, beyond it, is going to be answered soon…"

"But the riddle's words made us assume you have divine essence within you. Now you mean to say that you saw things that confirmed this assumption? Van Helsing, what did you see in your mind while unconscious?", Carl wondered, trying to put things in order.

Van Helsing engaged in briefly narrating his visions to them, his visions of the winged young man and his sayings, the battle between Good and Evil, the nightmares, and Satan himself. When he finished everyone stood speechless, still unable to comprehend the truth about Gabriel.

"So, you see now, the message God wanted me to receive through the riddle was received indeed. I am… an angel, an angel in a man's body. And I feel I can make peace with this now", he stated, and silence fell in the small cabin once more. They had all spoken of the possibility of Gabriel actually being a divine creature many times, but now that it was confirmed and they actually had to realize it and come to terms with it things were not so easy.

"And… now… what?", Anna finally uttered glancing from Gabriel to the others and then back to him.

"I can't know for sure. We can only wait for the time to come when all questions will be answered and the naked truth revealed. But what I know is that this time is close at hand. Very close", he told her and squeezed her hand lightly in an attempt to encourage her. Anna smiled weakly at him, already feeling the till-now-latent devastation taking over her.

"Oh, Gabriel…", she sighed. The man she loved was an angel, therefore truly out of touch for her. He was of heavenly essence; she was but a mere mortal.

"Please, Anna, and all of you my friends, don't trouble yourselves by trying to answer questions that cannot be answered now. The end is close, but has not come yet. Please, allow yourselves some rest. You have already done too much for me, and I thank you deeply. But do not exhaust yourselves further", he asked of them and his voice now carried a calmness and a wisdom, and so did his eyes, which still looked somewhat haunted, but now there was knowledge behind them.

Carl looked at his friend with vacillation evident in his gaze. Gabriel smiled at him reassuringly and the friar nodded positively with a tight smile across his lips, and then he moved to his bed.

"As you wish, Mr. Van Helsing. Shall you need me for any reason, I am most willing to assist you", the doctor said and after a silent consent from Gabriel he went to bed too. Francesca also bid goodnight to them with a smile and returned to the warmth of her bed. No one wanted to oppose Gabriel's will now that they knew he was an angel. Someone might assume that they acted out of fear of him, but the truth was that they acted out of respect and love for the angel that was known to them as the man under the name Gabriel Van Helsing.

Anna moved to stand and make for her bed, but Gabriel grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

"No… stay with me", he asked of her softly and pushed the covers aside to make place for her to lie down beside him. Anna reluctantly sat on the bed. She was avoiding his eyes. "Come… lie with me", he invited her and the princess silently obeyed. She lay still and kept her arms close to her chest, not daring touch him. Gabriel noticed her odd behavior. "Anna, what is wrong?", he asked her.

"Nothing… It's just… all this… it's too much", she said, her eyes always low.

"But we are together", he said and then lifted her chin with his hand to make her look in his eyes. Then he pulled her into an embrace, but Anna still kept her hands to herself. He leaned closer to kiss her, but as his lips brushed on hers she turned her face away to avoid the kiss. "Anna… why?", she asked her and his voice was this of a hurt man. However, he half-suspected the reason why she behaved like that.

"I…", she started and sighed, trying to push back her tears. "I don't dare touch you…", she whispered.

"My love, why?"

"You are an angel, and I am but a mortal!", she said miserably. "I have slept with an angel, do you understand? Oh, I feel so filthy, like a whore!", she cried in a broken voice and then quickly left the bed and stood a few meters from it, her shoulders now shaking under her sobs. Gabriel did not know what to say. He had expected something like that but not exactly that. After a short while he decided to speak to her, so he stood and approached her.

"Anna… I may be an angel, but I am a man, too. A man who loves you", he told her lovingly and hugged her by her shoulders. "Oh, how could you ever think that you are filthy, a whore?"

"I slept with an angel…", she repeated.

"Don't accuse yourself about anything. It's not fair. What's more, we didn't know."

"Yes, we did not know, but now we do", she said and turned to face him, her eyes burning into his now. "And even though I do know who you are now, I still feel love for you…"

"This is wonderful, not abominable, my princess."

"… and I still feel lust for you. Oh! Can you not see how deadly my sin is?", she cried and buried her face in her hands.

"There is no sin", he said firmly and held her by her shoulders. "You have not sinned, do you hear me? Nothing has changed. I still feel love for you… and I still feel lust for you, too…"

"What?", she said and her head snapped up.

"Those visions have not changed who I am and how I feel. I am a man as much as I am an angel. I love you, and I want you, do you understand? Now please stop crying and condemning yourself for non-committed sins…", he begged her. Anna slowly nodded positively and then Gabriel pulled her in a tight embrace. This time Anna returned the embrace, even though her previous thoughts had not entirely vanished.

"I wish you are right, because I cannot stop loving you and desiring you… And I will not stop loving you and desiring you even if this means that I will be damned to the eternal flames!", she said in a moment of defiance that contrasted with her previous behavior.

"Shh, don't say such things… Our love is sacred, not damned", he told her.

"Sacred… Isetnofret had told me when she first appeared to me exactly this, that we have a sacred love for each other, a love that comes only once in a thousand lifetimes…", the princess said in a dreamy voice, recalling Isetnofret's words and repeating them.

"You see? All the more why you need not worry and feel guilty. Now please, come to bed with me…", he said and offered her his hand. She took it and he led her to the bed. Anna looked more confident now and her dark thoughts seemed to have faded away after thinking of the ancient priestess.

Gabriel pushed her gently on the mattress to lie on her back and he moved slowly on top of her, reaching lower to place feathery kisses on her face and neck, while his hands started savoring the flesh of her thighs.

"Gabriel…", she said and placed her hands on his chest, stopping him from what he was doing. "We are not alone", she reminded him.

"Is that an excuse? Are you not convinced that our lovemaking is no sin?", he inquired.

"No, it is not an excuse. As much as I want you, we might wake up the others… It won't be right."

"We shall be noiseless then", he replied and sealed her mouth with a kiss before she had any time to react.

Driven by his passion, Anna slowly parted her legs beneath him and pushed his pants downwards as he lifted her nightgown to her waist. He positioned himself before her wet entrance and entered her slowly, causing her to arch her body towards his, her hips eager to meet his. Still keeping her lips trapped with his in a kiss, he felt her moaning in his mouth, and then she bit his lower lip hard and shut her eyes wide, trying to suppress her need to scream. Gabriel felt blood in his mouth after the sharp pain of her bite, but this only excited him more and started pushing inside her slowly but powerfully, almost painfully… Anna pushed her heels in his back in an attempt to contain the feelings and she dug her nails in his shoulders to prevent herself from screaming. Sweat was now streaming down her lover's back, along his spine. Anna felt his skin trembling, and she shivered. With one last powerful, deep thrust, he threw his head back, his eyes pressed closed tightly and his lips parted, and emptied himself inside her. Anna reached the peak of her climax too, and blocked her mouth with her hand, not to cry out loud in pleasure.

Van Helsing then collapsed beside her, drawing breaths fast, his limbs limp from exhaustion, his eyes still shut and his hair matted with the sweat. Anna was the first to come back to normal and she took a moment to admire their lovemaking's afterglow on her lover. He wearily turned to her side and smiled. Anna kissed him and tasted his blood.

"I am sorry for the bite…", she apologized with a smile.

"Nevermind… I liked it", he replied and then moved to hide his face in the corner between her shoulder and her neck, putting an arm around her waist.

Anna enjoyed the feeling of him so close to her, she enjoyed his musky scent, so masculine and sexually arousing to her. She engaged in caressing him lightly, and he was soon asleep. A little later Anna drifted away to sleeping as well.

That night the same winged young man visited Gabriel in his dreams. He looked exactly the same as in his visions, holding his sword that blazed with purple and gold fire and he was surrounded by a ruby aura.

"_Gabriel… Gabriel… It has been so long__."_

_"Who… who are you?"_

"_You think that you do not remember me, but you do… We were always close to each other, closer than any of the other archangels…"_

"_Uriel?"_

"_Yes…"_

"_I do remember now…"_

"_Of course you do…"_

"_Why are you here?"_

"_To deliver a message to the Messenger. The First Heaven needs its Ruler, Gabriel. The time is close."_

"_I know…"_

"_Are you ready?"_

"_I am. It has been so long…"_

"_Indeed. It is time you took your place again in the Heavens."_

"_When?"_

"_Soon. You must fulfill your mission on the Earth first."_

"_Have I not?"_

"_Almost. You need to return to Rome. This will be the end."_

"_What about Anna?"_

"_It is not my place to speak about her."_

"_What will happen, Uriel?"_

"_You will know soon. Farewell, Gabriel. God is my light, and may He be with you."_

"_Farewell, Uriel. God is my strength, and may He be with her…"_

**Author's note:** _Mmm, so we know now who this winged man is… and we know who Gabriel is. But still there are many questions to be answered, right? Obviously the story is reaching the end… Anyway, any comments about the chapter or anything? You liked it, you didn't like it…?_


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's note:** _Hello! Now this was a quick update, wasn't it? Surprisingly enough, I had some free time today so I got down to typing chapter 24! There will surely be a chapter 25 and probably a chapter 26, but I don't know for sure… Anyway, scroll down now, read and enjoy!_

_Of course, thanks to all of my faithful reviewers who have helped me all along with this story!_

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll follow their journey to Rome with all of its events, and finally we'll get to learn something about who he really is. All the way, there will be an exploration of his relationship with her_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _No, I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie and you know that. I only own my own characters and plot._

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 24 

The five friends entered the walls of the Vatican city with the first light of the day. Gabriel led the way into the imposing church of St. Peter and the others followed shortly behind him. Cardinal Jinette was expecting them.

As soon as they reached Italy, Carl cabled Rome to inform his eminence about their condition and the reason for their delay. The answer that came was brief, but gave the impression that the Cardinal would be requesting many explanations.

The last time Carl had cabled Rome was quite much time ago, when they still were in Transylvania, shortly after they had vanquished Dracula from the land. The young friar had informed them of the fact that Anna would travel with them and therefore of her forthcoming arrival to the Vatican, and the reply was a kind wish to welcome the princess to the base of the Holy Order. This time things were somewhat different, however. Two more people had been added to their small group, and the hunter was returning with much more knowledge about himself than when he had left. Needless to say, Carl had deliberately avoided informing the Cardinal about the kind of relationship between Gabriel Van Helsing and Anna Valerious. Four people of the team had some amount of nervousness about their welcoming in the Vatican and about the Cardinal's reaction, but one of them carried an unearthly serenity about him and a confidence that everything was now under the control of God.

Dressed in his bright red Cardinal's robes, as always, Jinette was expecting them, standing in the centre of the basilica, below the magnificent dome. His face bore a serious expression, but revealed no specific feeling nevertheless.

"Cardinal Jinette", Van Helsing greeted the older man and removed his hat.

"Van Helsing. Welcome back", came the dry reply.

"This is princess Anna Valerious…", the hunter introduced his lover.

"It's an honor to meet you, your eminence", said Anna with a kind smile.

"Welcome to the Vatican city, princess. I am glad to see that you are fine, and to have learned that your land is free of Dracula at last", he stated formally.

"Yes. My people and I owe a lot to Mr. Van Helsing", she said and glanced over to Gabriel, who was standing a few meters from her. Jinette nodded knowingly.

"Father, it is good to see you again", Carl intervened and earned a smile from Jinette's side. Noticing Robert's persistent look, the friar rushed to speak again. "Oh and these are Dr. Robert Williams and Miss Francesca Lucano, friends that have assisted as greatly during our journey to Italy", he said and made place for the two persons mentioned to step forward. Then he turned to them and said "Robert, Francesca please meet Cardinal Jinette".

"It is a pleasure knowing you, your eminence…", the doctor stated with a bright smile and extended his hand, always comfortable among people. Jinette shook his hand.

"Welcome, Dr. Williams", he said. "And you, Miss Francesca", the Cardinal added turning to the young girl who knew not what to say, so she only smiled shyly and nodded. "I imagine you are all tired from the long journey. Please follow me", he said and headed out of the church, entering a door of a nearby building. A few monks were in the room, obviously waiting for the Cardinal. "Father Adam, please show our guests to their rooms", he requested and waved vaguely towards the direction of the guest rooms, which were actually underground, like all rooms that the Order used. They were all built beneath the ground level, in the catacombs, so as to ensure maximum safety and protection, as well as secrecy. As the monk moved to show the people to their rooms, Jinette spoke again in a low voice. "Van Helsing, Carl, I need to speak with you", he said and his tone revealed that he would not accept "no" as an answer. Van Helsing fidgeted with his hat between his fingers and glanced towards Anna. "Alone", the Cardinal noted. Anna gave her lover an irritated look and she remained at her place.

"Whatever is to be said, should be said in front of princess Valerious. She was part of this adventure as much as Carl and I were", the hunter demanded and glared at the Cardinal for his wish to exclude Anna. Jinette kept his composure and silently consented for Anna to join them.

"Come. We will be undisturbed in my quarters", he simply said and then the three companions followed the Cardinal below, as he descended several stairs, and then along an ill-lit corridor.

As soon as they were in the Cardinal's office, isolated from the rest of the world, Van Helsing put aside all formalities and spoke.

"Well? What is it that you needed to tell us?", he asked impatiently.

"First of all, I want an extensive report by you two", he started and nodded towards Gabriel and Carl, "on the Dracula issue. Secondly, I want to know what happened to you all this time that lost you the contact with us for so long", the Cardinal demanded.

"I bring you father Nicholaus's greetings", the hunter said, quite out of the blue.

"Father Nicholaus? How is that possible? It cannot be that you were in Alexandria!", said Jinette, clearly taken by surprise.

"We were indeed. A sea demon by the name Vandul made sure to turn our journey into hell, and thus we were lucky enough to find ourselves in Alexandria", Van Helsing replied.

"Vandul? This has to be very serious… Please, tell me what happened…", the Cardinal asked of them, more softly now, and, in fact, looking quite concerned.

In the next few hours Van Helsing, Anna and Carl narrated the major events of their adventure to Jinette, who listened to them carefully, concern not leaving his features. The Cardinal was astonished to hear about the riddle and its meaning, and he was truly astounded when Gabriel told him about his visions and of him being an angel. The fact that Van Helsing stated with utmost calmness and acceptance that he was indeed the archangel Gabriel shocked Jinette even more. The hunter felt the urge to ask Jinette a question that was burning his tongue for some time now.

"So, Cardinal Jinette, now that the truth of my identity is for the most part revealed to me, and I have been put in the path of finding about the whole truth about my existence, I need to ask you this: did the Vatican know anything about me?", he asked and locked his eyes with the Cardinal's, searching for the truth in his gaze.

"No… we knew nothing… Well, actually, there was something…", Jinette muttered an unwilling confession, losing for the first time his composed and imposing tone. "Everything you said is… beyond the realms of human understanding. We can only but kneel before God's magnitude and mercy…", he continued and his gaze was empty, apparently contemplating these revelations and not focusing on the material world around him.

"Cardinal, you said there was something", Gabriel insisted, being on the verge of losing his patience. "I need you to tell me what happened the day I was found. I have never asked you this question, and I still don't know why not, but I feel now is the time for answers", Van Helsing required from Jinette. The Cardinal contemplated the thoughts in his head for a moment, and then he hesitantly decided to answer Gabriel's question.

"It has been… more than six years since then", he started rather reluctantly. "It was a cold night in November when the late father Matthew and I discovered you crawling up at the steps of St. Peter, half-dead… We took you in the healers' room. But for your condition, no evidence of physical injury was to be found on you, and this had a very strange impact on all of us. Some days later, during your recovery, father Pietro, the head of the healers, informed us of an extraordinary event. He told us that, one night when he came to check on you, he heard you speaking a language that was not comprehensible by us, and that he saw for a moment a bright light surrounding you. It was then clear to all of us that you had been sent to do God's work. When you woke up you remembered nothing but your name. We still have no idea how you appeared on the steps of St. Peter", he concluded.

"So you knew…", the hunter said and his voice was low and hoarse.

"This was a sign from God, but we knew nothing further. We could have never known that you are the archangel Gabriel himself", Jinette stood up for himself.

"Why have you never told me about it?", Van Helsing demanded angrily and slammed his fist on the Cardinal's desk, something that made the older man jump to his feet.

"Van Helsing, calm yourself down!", Jinette requested.

"How can I? You kept telling me that if I wanted to find out who I am I should continue to "heed the call", and that I had lost my memory as a penance for past sins! What past sins? I doubt if you were even telling me the truth!", he fumed.

"Van Helsing you have to understand…"

"Understand what?"

"Things were complicated. The Order could not have risked losing you. We have never had an agent with your skills before, an agent that could carry out every mission, an agent that could even sense evil… I had to make a decision!"

"It was a decision about my life!"

"I needed to think of the benefit of the Order. The Order needed you, and we had to keep you at our service. You served mankind, Van Helsing!"

"I served mankind and lived in ignorance, thanks to you! And you confess your actions so shamelessly!"

"I chose the lesser of two evils! Don't behave selfishly!"

"What? You would keep me in the dark forever, and I am behaving selfishly?"

"It is not as simple as you consider it… The Order-"

"I don't want to hear a word about the Order ever again! You decided to never tell me of what father Pietro had witnessed, and you lied to me fearing that you might lose your precious servant! Well I used to think better of you, Cardinal, but not any more!", the hunter burst out and rushed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Cardinal Jinette sighed and lowered his eyes, unwilling to meet the others' gaze. He was truly carrying this burden on his shoulders for a long time, and now he seemed to bend under it. Apparently he had never thought of things reaching this point. Carl was looking at him with sadness in his eyes, while Anna kept a serious façade, even though she was boiling inside for the injustice that had been done on Gabriel.

"I am sorry you witnessed this scene… I can understand Van Helsing's fury, but when you are the head of the Holy Order you have to make serious decisions that reflect upon the lives of many… The responsibility is great…", Jinette felt the need to explain himself.

"But it wasn't fair for Van Helsing! Were you planning to keep from him all you knew for ever? This is how you would repay your most valuable agent?", Anna blurted and the Cardinal was taken aback by the woman's boldness.

"Princess Valerious, let me remind you it is not your place to judge the Order's tactics!", he reprimanded her.

"But I can speak for the man I love!", she cried and then quickly blocked her mouth and gasped in shock at the realization of what she had just said.

"This is no good…", Carl whispered and glanced nervously from Anna to Jinette and back.

"I'm sorry…", the princess uttered.

"I think that was enough. We all need to retire, and rest, before things go beyond our control", the Cardinal said with a strict voice, trying to remain calm. Not only had Gabriel learned the truth about him, there was the complication of the princess-in-love as well. And Jinette suspected that the hunter had similar feelings for the woman. The head of the Holy Order needed time to clear his mind and consider everything. Every move should now be very carefully decided, because the fragile balances he so hard fought to keep in the Order could easily break now.

Silently, Carl and Anna left the Cardinal's quarters, and the young friar led the princess through the labyrinthine corridors below the surface and to the guests' rooms. Fortunately, Carl found father Adam easily and he showed them to Anna's room. Right after entering, the princess sank in the bed as if her legs were unable of supporting her weight any longer. Carl sat in the only chair.

"I shouldn't have told the Cardinal that I love Gabriel…", she started miserably.

"Oh well, but you did anyway… But I don't think there should be a problem with that…", he tried to comfort her even thought he knew that this was not easy.

"I hope you are right, Carl. But I had expected a warmer welcome in the Vatican, to be frank…", she murmured.

"I am sorry…", the friar uttered and lowered his eyes.

"I don't dare think about what the future holds for us. We've been told the end is close, but now that I have to face it sooner or later, I can't find the strength to. I can't lose Gabriel! And no one seems willing to help!", she said in desperation.

"Don't lose your hopes, Anna… God is merciful", he tried to soothe her pain.

"I need him, Carl, I need him so much! Oh, if only you could understand…!", she cried and her eyes welled up with tears.

"I think I can…", he whispered, his mind drifting momentarily to Francesca, who was now resting in her room.

"Do you know where he might be now?", she asked him.

"Well… no. But he'll come back to you when he's ready. Just wait for him, give him the time he needs..."

"Yes… Today he was the man, not the angel. I could clearly see that. His pain for the truths that were kept from him broke my heart!", she cried again and buried her face in her hands, sobbing freely now. Carl felt very sorry to see his friend being so miserable and distressed.

"Anna, why don't you pray to him? The angel inside him will listen to you…", he suggested.

"Oh, I will try…", she agreed and massaged her temples, obviously overwhelmed by the exhaustion and sentimental tension.

"Now what about resting, hmm? I will be around, or in my room, in case you need me. Just ask somebody to show you to it, alright?"

"Thank you, Carl. You have been the best of a friend all along…", she said and squeezed the friar's hand, who smiled in return. Then he stood and left the princess in her room, closing the door behind him.

**Author's note:** _That was the chapter. Good or bad, awesome or terrible, or maybe mediocre, you'll tell me! Oh and please tell me how many more chapters you'd like to read, and also if you'd like the story to have a happy or a sad end!_


	25. Chapter 25

**Author's note:** _Hello my dearest readers and reviewers! Here I am, presenting chapter 25 to you. I was in a good mood when I wrote it, and I decided to make Jinette less unlikable, compared to the previous chapter, lol. I have decided about the number of the chapters; there will be two more, chapter 27 being the last. And I have made up my mind about the end too, and I hope that you will like it, even though it might not be exactly what you've been expecting. Well, time will show!_

_Once more, many thanks to all of my faithful reviewers! I dedicate this chapter to you!_

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll follow their journey to Rome with all of its events, and finally we'll get to learn something about who he really is. All the way, there will be an exploration of his relationship with her_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _No, I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie and you know that. I only own my own characters and plot._

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 25 

Gabriel was wandering in the streets of Rome for hours, not quite knowing where he was going and not caring about it either. He just kept walking, avoiding the crowded places, while turmoil was going on inside him. Truth be said, he had never been very fond of Cardinal Jinette, but he could have never expected that this man of the cloth would be able to hide such crucial things from him, things so essential in the knowledge of his existence, his self-realization.

So he had been used. He, the Left Hand of God itself, had been used! Rage and pain seared inside him, tormenting his human part. Was that his reward for serving the Holy Order loyally? His inner voices protested against the injustice.

On the other hand, there was the archangel inside him who urged the human to forgive the Cardinal, who reminded him that men make mistakes, and that the Cardinal had acted considering the welfare of the world. Gabriel recognized it, no simple human being could have achieved so many victories against evil, as men were bound by their imperfect nature, and they were prone to sin. No enemy had ever survived an encounter with the infamous monster slayer, while several other agents of the Order, despite their great skills and training, often lost their lives in combat. But Van Helsing had always felt that he was in some way superior to the evil creatures he faced, even though he had never consciously realized it. True enough, he had come close to death quite a few times, but he always managed to come out alive in the end.

Now, after the revelations during his last adventure, he finally understood the reason why evil could have never beat him. He was the archangel Gabriel himself, bearing the essence of God, and this made him practically invincible by evil creatures. However, he knew that his carnal body suffered the same way as every other human's, and it made him feel the same needs, desires and passions as all men.

It was about sunset when his steps brought him to the gates of the graveyard. Van Helsing stopped and looked upwards, at the inscription above the iron gates that read "Requiescat in Pace". He contemplated the phrase for a moment; it was that very phrase he used after having killed a creature to help its soul find redemption and perhaps enter the Heavens.

The heavy gates were slightly open. Gabriel took a deep breath and leaned on one of the two gates, applying his weight on it and pushing it open slowly. The gate moved with a creak, and the hunter entered the graveyard.

Unlike almost every other person in Rome, and presumably in the entire world, Gabriel had no dead relative whose grave to visit and pay tribute to. He simply let himself walk among the graves, gazing at the beautiful, yet lifeless statues that decorated the graves of the wealthy. Statues of sculpted angels and maidens, they seemed miserable in their attempt to give a note of cheer to the dim graveyard, eternal proof of man's vanity to embellish death.

The fading winter sun cast shadows behind the statues and the gravestones, while a thin mist rested upon them, making the reddish and golden colors of the sunset look faint. Van Helsing's dark figure moved slowly among the houses of the dead, his head slightly tilted downwards. As the time passed, he felt calmer inside, accepting the deeds of the past and forgiving their perpetrators. The angelic being inside him prevailed and it was a being that could only feel love; emotions like rage and hate were foreign to it. The archangel inside him carried the essence of God; it carried His essence of love and mercy.

Gabriel stopped before the grave of a child. A beautiful, sculpted little angel, like those in the paintings of the Renaissance, stood at the head of it. The hunter lifted his head a bit and smiled, for he knew that this little child was now an angel in the love of God. A cool breeze blew past him, and the hunter closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the feeling. Then he slowly turned, already knowing the identity of the man who was standing behind him.

"Uriel…", he said calmly, still smiling, as if he had been expecting Uriel to appear.

"Gabriel…", the archangel said in response. "I am here to bring you a message."

"The Messenger listens to you."

"The purpose of my visit to you this time is to make you aware of the fact that tomorrow will be your last day on the Earth", Uriel said and Gabriel nodded calmly.

"I understand. What is expected of me?", he asked his divine friend.

"Make peace with the people that have played an important role in your life as a human. Live your last day on the Earth in peace and joy, as a human. Give love to everyone around you, and you will find love in the Heavens once again."

"I shall", he said in acceptance.

"At daybreak, when your last day ends, take with you the people that have been the closest to you, the ones that your human existence has loved dearly, and come here, in the graveyard, before the child's grave."

"I shall", he said again.

"I will come to you again. God has granted me with the honor to answer all of your questions, and God's will shall be done. But think not about this moment of the end yet. You are meant to enjoy your human side one last time, and to the whole. Then everything will be restored."

"Thank you. I will be ready."

"You already are. I will see you soon again, my brother, and this time it will last forever. Farewell, Gabriel."

"Farewell, Uriel."

With that the beautiful archangel vanished from before Gabriel's eyes, leaving him alone in the graveyard. The sun had set, and the dark veils of the night had started falling upon the graves. The hunter felt a divine serenity glowing inside him, a serenity that was evidence of his true nature and the acceptance of his destiny. Recalling Uriel's words, he slowly walked out of the graveyard and headed towards the walls of the Vatican. If he was blessed with one more day in the human world, he was determined to spend it with the people he loved. But first he would speak with the Cardinal, and make peace with him. It was not something that he would do because he felt obliged to; it was something that he truly felt like doing.

However, there was one thing that worried the mighty archangel. He feared that Carl, and even more Anna, would not bear his oncoming and inevitable departure. Carl might be able to understand at last, but what about Anna? How could a young woman afford to lose the only man she had ever loved with all her heart? This thought brought a sweet sadness to Gabriel. But if it was not possible that they spent a lifetime in happiness, they could at least spend their last day together, and let their sacred love bloom one last time. And, deep inside him, Gabriel trusted that God would not abandon in sorrow and desperation the brave, yet tragic, princess who had dedicated her life to fighting the son of the Devil.

Pondering these things, Van Helsing finally reached the Vatican city. It was night and no one was to be seen around. His own steps echoed in the darkness, and steadily brought him to St. Peter's basilica. Upon entering it, the hunter chose to kneel below a marvelous stained-glass window, and started praying, wishing to ready himself fully for his parting of this world and, more importantly, of his beloved ones. During his prayer a bright white light shone through him, and the light was clearer than any earthly light could have ever been, and it made the figures on the stained glass glow beautifully. When Gabriel finished his prayer, he was feeling content and peaceful again, and he decided it was time he found the Cardinal, but for the late of the hour.

Descending many stairs and walking along that same ill-lit corridor, he finally reached Jinette's quarters. Without a moment's hesitation he knocked on the heavy wooden door twice.

"Come in", the Cardinal's voice was heard from inside, giving him permission to enter.

Gabriel pushed the door open and stepped inside. The Cardinal was seated behind his desk and a pile of papers was on it. Apparently he was still working on the matters of the Order even this late at night. Assuming that it was probably a monk bearing questions, the Cardinal didn't bother lifting his head and looking at the man at the door. Gabriel removed his hat and cleared his throat.

"Cardinal Jinette…", he started calmly. The older man was taken by surprise and his head shot up at the sound of the voice, recognizing its owner.

"Van Helsing!", he exclaimed. "I didn't expect you… Where… Where have you been?", he managed to ask, gradually regaining his composure.

"Not in the Vatican", he replied. "I would like to talk with you, your eminence, if you have time…", he said kindly and the Cardinal was surprised once again by the hunter's kind and calm voice.

"Well, of course, of course… Come, take a seat, my good son", he said with equal kindness in his voice and gestured for Van Helsing to take the empty seat before his desk. Gabriel sat down on the chair and placed his hat on his knees.

"I am sorry for my behavior earlier…", he started and looked Jinette in the eye. The Cardinal nodded in acknowledgment. "I understand you had your reasons for choosing not to tell me what you knew about me, and I forgive your decision, since it was for the welfare of humanity". The Cardinal was listening to Gabriel with his breath caught. "In my wandering today archangel Uriel delivered another message to me. I am to leave the world of men the day after tomorrow. Therefore, I am here to have one last conversation with you. As for tomorrow, I will spend my last day on the Earth with my best friend and the woman I love."

"So you do love each other…", was the only comment that escaped the Cardinal's lips. "Princess Valerious revealed to me her love for you in a sudden outburst of emotion, after you left us abruptly earlier."

"Did she?"

"Yes. And I hope this will cause problems to neither of you. I think it would be proper if the two of you got married", the Cardinal suggested.

"No… What good would it do to Anna if she got married to a man that will not live with her? I am soon to leave and she must go on with her life, without me", he said and his voice broke at the last words, his human self aching at the harsh realization. He lowered his eyes and avoided the Cardinal's gaze.

"My good son, do not despair. God's will always beholds the best for all of us, but you already know that, since you are an angel of His. And if you don't wish to marry princess Valerious, given the circumstances, then let it be so". Gabriel looked to the older man, his eyes glowing wet with emerging tears. The Cardinal had never witnessed Van Helsing being so emotional before. "We all will miss you, Van Helsing. Your work for the Order was blessed, and it is invaluable to us. You have always been a man we could count on, our strongest soldier against evil. May you find peace and happiness in the Heavens, where you truly belong. We mortals should only feel grateful that God has shown His mercy to us by sending His archangel Gabriel to aid our fight against evil. May your blessing be upon us, mighty archangel…", the Cardinal said modestly and bowed his head slightly before Gabriel.

"I am but a soldier of God… I assure you that you will not be abandoned in your noble cause to free humanity from evil", said Gabriel and gave the Cardinal a warm smile. The archangel's hazel eyes had now a golden glow in their depths. "But still, I have not finished my work for you. I have to present you with the report on Dracula's case", he said in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere.

"Don't bother with it, my good son. I think Carl is more than capable of writing it, and it is not such an emergency, after all. Go now, spend your last day with your princess. I can imagine she is in need of you more than anyone else here. I will see to inform the members of the Order about your departure, after you will have left", Jinette told Gabriel in good nature and smiled to him.

"Thank you, your eminence", said Van Helsing, truly moved by the Cardinal's magnanimity and unprecedented understanding, and lowered his eyes. To his surprise, Jinette came and placed a fatherly kiss on top of Gabriel's forehead.

"We are the ones who should be thankful. Go now…", the older man urged the hunter.

"Farewell, Cardinal Jinette."

"Farewell, Gabriel. May God bless us all."

**Author's note:** _Alright, end with chapter 25… I'd like to know your opinions about it, so please hit the magical button and leave me a review!_

_Just a small__ note: the thing about "Requiescat in Pace" and the graveyard is something I totally made up, since I have no idea how the graveyard of Rome might look!_


	26. Chapter 26

**Author's note:** _Greetings to everyone! Here we are with chapter26… One more and the Journey will come to an end! I'm moved as I say that…Oh and please forgive me for the characters are rather OC-like, but I think that where the story is now, it's kind of inevitable…_

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I hold you dear in my heart…_

_The lyrics I used in this chapter are actually a song by Judas Priest, called "Angel", in the album "Angel of Retribution". I don't own it and I don't make money of it._

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll follow their journey to Rome with all of its events, and finally we'll get to learn something about who he really is. All the way, there will be an exploration of his relationship with her_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _No, I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie and you know that. I only own my own characters and plot._

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 26

After leaving the Cardinal's quarters, Gabriel headed for Anna's room. He knew that she would probably be sleeping now, but he wanted to just lie by her side and spend a night watching her, smelling her.

Noiselessly, he reached her room and pressed down the handle of the door. The door was not locked, so he pushed it open slowly and entered the dark room. Anna had left no candles lit, and absolute darkness reigned. But the hunter's eyes were used to seeing in the dark, and he quickly made out her dark figure lying in the bed, protected under the warm covers. He swiftly removed his clothes, letting them fall down on the floor; it didn't matter. Then he approached the bed and sat carefully on the mattress.

Anna had her back turned to him, and her beautiful dark curls were spread on her pillow. Gabriel leaned to her side a bit and caressed her hair lightly. She did not move. Then he lifted the blankets a little and got under them, and now he was lying beside Anna. Burying his nose in the nape of her neck, he breathed deeply her scent that always sent thrills through his body. And this time was no exception. Gabriel let his fingers tangle with her stray curls, enjoying their silky feel. His hand then slid down on her cheekbone, feathery moving, and her skin beneath it was warm and like velvet. Anna shifted somewhat under his touch, and, still asleep, she turned to lie on her back, her face now a bit tilted to Gabriel's side.

He took a moment to admire her beautiful face; her features seemed to be so perfectly chiseled, her long dark eyelashes contradicting with her creamy skin; her small, elegant nose, and her crimson lips he always died to kiss. They were slightly parted now, and his gaze stopped on them. He felt the urge to kiss her once more, but he didn't want to wake her up. Instead, he traced her jawline with his fingers, and her felt her skin slightly shiver under his touch. The princess moved a bit and opened her eyes drowsily. Then she closed them again and purred.

"Mmm… Gabriel…", she said and her voice was sweet, and a bit hoarse, proof that she had been sleeping.

"Shh… Sleep, my love…", he lulled her and placed a butterfly kiss on her forehead. Anna smiled a bit and dozed off to sleeping again.

Gabriel hugged her tenderly be the waist and closed his eyes too, enjoying their shared feelings of love, safety and warmth. He wished they could stay like that forever, but he knew that it was not possible. But instead of letting such thoughts depress him, he dreamed of the moments they shared since they had known each other for the first time. He remembered the first time he saw her in the village's square, and her bravery when fighting off the vampires. He remembered her insisting on being by his side all the time and helping him find his answers; she had been true to her word. Gabriel did not know how, or if, he would have made it without Anna. Before her he used to think that he would always stand alone, with no one by his side, to support him and care for him. But with Anna all these had changed. She brought light to his dim life, a light that led him, in its own special way, to his self-realization. And he was grateful for all that. His only regret was that he could not stay with her forever and repay her all the good that she had done for him. Then he remembered their first kiss, only moments before they parted in order to fulfill their missions. And then in Hungary, how much persistent she was on going with him and risking her life to help him kill the Dark Witch, who turned to be Isetnofret. But the best moments they shared were every time they made love; they weren't too many, as they knew each other for a rather small period of time. But he remembered every detail, every sensation, and he was sure that these memories would remain with him forever, even after leaving the world of mortals. Thinking about the first time they made love, Gabriel finally fell asleep, and in his dream he was making love to his princess once more, the princess he was now holding protectively in his arms.

The next morning the two lovers woke up rather early, and after spending some sweet moments in bed, still under the influence of their sleepiness, they decided to get up and dress. Gabriel gathered his scattered clothes and Anna removed her nightgown and put on hers. Then they made for the dining room, where several members of the Order were already having breakfast. Dr. Williams and Francesca were there as well, and so was Carl, who was sitting next to the young woman. Anna and Gabriel greeted their friends and took seats next to them. As breakfast was served to them, the hunter thought that he would soon have to tell his friends that this was his last day among them. But, of course, this could not be said here, with all those monks around. He did not want to alert them all; and Cardinal Jinette had promised that he would inform them, after all, in due time. So he told his friends that he needed to talk to them in his quarters, after breakfast. They were somewhat surprised at that, but they suspected, to an extent, what it was going to be about. They knew that, according to the signs, Rome was meant to be the end for Gabriel. So perhaps what he wanted to tell them was relevant to that.

Some time later the five of them were gathered in Gabriel's quarters, where they were bound to be undisturbed and uninterrupted, and in some kind of isolation from the rest of the Order. As they took seats, nobody wanted to speak; they all waited for Gabriel to start. And Gabriel's words came to prove their suspicions right.

"Well, the reason I asked for you to come here is that I want to talk to you about something important", the hunter started, and glanced quickly at Anna, who looked worried. He took her hand in his, in a weak attempt to encourage her. Again, nobody spoke; they waited for him to continue. "Yesterday, I walked out of the Vatican, and my steps brought me to the cemetery… There, archangel Uriel came to me once more, and he delivered a message to me. He told me…", Gabriel said and hesitated for a moment, searching their faces. Finally he spoke again. "My friends, this is the last day I am with you, on earth… Tomorrow, at dawn, I am to leave… This is what Uriel told me, and this is what I wanted to tell you."

Awkward silence fell to the room and everybody wore a shocked expression on their faces. Carl muttered something like "oh my God", a gasp escaped Francesca's lips and she quickly blocked her mouth with her hand, while Robert lowered his saddened eyes. Anna, on her side, threw herself in Gabriel's hug, trying desperately to fight back the tears and sobs that were threatening to choke her.

"No… no… it can't be….", she whispered against his hair. Gabriel closed his eyes and held her, trying to soothe her a bit. Anna somehow managed to gather her strength and regain her composure, and slowly pulled away.

"Please, don't despair…", he told her in a low voice. "No one should despair. This is how it must be done… I must return where I belong… It is God's will. I need you to know, everything I shared with you was special… I will be forever by your side, whenever you need me."

"But I don't want to lose you!"

"Yet we all knew that this would happen."

"It happened so soon!"

"I'm not gone yet. We are still together."

"For a few hours more. What are a few hours compared to a lifetime?"

"Precious."

"Oh, Gabriel…", she said and rested her weary self against his chest. It was very hard for her to make peace with the fact that she would lose Gabriel too soon.

"Um, well, I suppose you want to spend your last day on earth with Anna…", Carl uttered and his sorrowful eyes searched his friend's for the answer.

"I do, but my friends are also important to me. I don't know if I would have made it without you, Carl, or any of you, for that matter… I owe thanks to you all."

"Mr. Van Helsing, I now consider myself among the most fortunate people; to have known you was something extraordinary that will remain in my mind and heart for the rest of my life…", Robert said and extended his hand to Gabriel, who shook it in a warm handshake.

"Thank you, doctor. I wish you the best", he said and Robert nodded with a sincere smile. Then he looked at Francesca, and he smiled to her. "Miss Francesca, I trust that Carl will take good care of you. May you be happy", he told her.

"Oh… thank you, Mr. Van Helsing", she said and blushed as she took Carl's hand in hers.

"Ehm, Van Helsing…", the friar started, very unsure of what to say next.

"Say nothing, Carl", the hunter said and gave him a strong and quick embrace. "We will not say goodbye yet. Keep your words for the end."

"Well, um, if you say so… alright, I suppose..."

"So this is where we say goodbye, then, is it?", Dr. Williams asked Van Helsing.

"Even though I would like it not to be, my friend, it is."

"Well then, there is only one thing left to do", Robert said and turned to the others. "We should leave and let Mr. Van Helsing spend the day with Miss Anna."

"Yes, Dr. Williams, you are right… We should go…", Francesca said in a low voice.

"You don't have to go. The day has not yet ended", Gabriel protested, but Robert shook his head.

"It is not our place to stay any longer. The last moments belong to you and Anna, exclusively. Farewell, Mr. Van Helsing. It was an honor to have known you." With these words, a few last glances, and before Gabriel could find words to utter, Robert exited the room and Francesca followed behind him. Carl moved to do the same, but the hunter grabbed his arm.

"Don't go so soon, Carl. Stay with me a bit more", he asked his friend who looked totally surprised at what he had just heard. He was not used to Gabriel showing affection, and, even more, pleading.

"But… but don't you want to…?"

"Yes. But I also want you to stay a bit. You are my best friend."

"Oh, Van Helsing, am I really?", the friar asked excitedly and with emotion evident in his voice.

"Of course. What would have I done without you? You are a genius, and you were always-"

Gabriel's phrase remained unfinished as Carl hugged him suddenly, in an outburst of emotion. The hunter welcomed the hug, and Anna smiled at the sweet sight of the two friends, who were so different, but shared so much. Then Carl released Gabriel, and before he had enough time to react, he scurried to the door and out of the room. The young friar had received utmost happiness by the hunter's unexpected words, and he chose to go quickly and leave the two lovers alone, and also before he got to crying.

"Carl! Carl!", the hunter called at him, but the friar had already walked away, disappearing in the shadows of the long corridor. "I will see you at dawn!", he shouted before returning to the room and closing the door. Now it was just him and Anna.

"He is such a sweet person… He left us alone. Your words made him very happy, Gabriel", said Anna and wiped away a tear from her cheek.

"Yeah… I wish I could have known Carl better… I wouldn't have made it without him… or without you. Oh, Anna… I love you, and I always will. Nothing can change that", he said and closed her in his hug. The princess took a deep breath and then sighed, gradually feeling calmer, and accepting the Heaven's will. "But this day is for you-"

"For us", she corrected him firmly.

"For us… Tell me what you want us to do. Do you want me to show you around Rome?", he suggested.

"Alright", Anna replied, after thinking about it for a moment.

Soon the two of them were wandering in the streets of Rome. Gabriel took her to the sights, and Anna was fascinated. Her sorrow seemed to leave her features, and that made Gabriel feel much better; he couldn't bear seeing Anna sad and depressed. When they reached the Fontana di Trevi, they stopped and looked at the marvelous sculptures of it.

"Come on, make a wish", he told her and handed her a coin. "It is said that if you toss a coin into the Fontana do Trevi you will return to Rome, but you can also make a wish", he said as she took the coin with disbelief in her eyes. "Come, throw it and wish for something", he urged her, and suddenly her eyes lit. She tossed the coin into the water, and then she turned to Gabriel.

"Do you want to know what I wished?"

"If that doesn't work against your wish coming true…", he said a bit playfully and grinned, but Anna looked more serious.

"I wished that we never be parted", she said and her eyes burned into his. He couldn't hold her gaze for long and dropped his eyes.

"Come… let's go. There's still a lot you should see", he finally said and took her by the hand. Anna followed and silently prayed her wish to come true.

They wandered in Rome for a few more hours, and it was not until dusk that they decided to return to the Vatican. They had supper, but their friends were nowhere to be seen; they had probably dined earlier. So Anna and Gabriel chose to go and rest in Gabriel's room. She wanted to once know how he behaved in his lair, in his very bedroom. This was to be their last night together, and they secretly desired to make the most of it.

As they entered the room, Gabriel lit a few candles, and their yellowish, faint, but warm light made the atmosphere mysterious and romantic, just like the nature of the two lovers was. Soon they approached each other, slowly and seductively, to finally come and stand inches apart. Gabriel raised his hands to her face, caressing her jawline softly. Anna closed her eyes and breathed in deeply his scent, his radiating love, mixed with the scent of the melting wax and the scent of the sweet darkness.

"I love you, Anna. I love you more than I believed I was capable of loving someone", he whispered to her in a confessing tone, and his voice was hoarse with emotion. There was love and pain to be found in his beautiful hazel eyes.

"It's the same for me, Gabriel", she said and reached with her hands behind his head, and pulled him gently down for a kiss.

Their lips brushed gently at first, but soon the kiss deepened, entrancing the two lovers. Gabriel embraced Anna softly and pulled her in his hug, while his fingertips traced patterns on her back, toying with the laces of her corset. The princess placed her hands on the hunter's back and pulled him even closer, making full contact with his body. With torturingly slow moves he untied the laces and removed her corset. She responded by pulling his shirt up above his head and off of him. Her blouse was the next to fall on the floor, and his hands touched her soft flesh gently, exploring her, probing her, thrilling her… Her hands traced the toned muscles of his back and followed the line down his spine. He quivered under her gentle touch, and she felt it. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the feeling swallow his existence. Anna's eyes were fixed on his face, studying his emotions, his reactions, wishing to keep these moments in her memory and heart forever. As soon as he opened his eyes, a warm smile formed on his lips. She smiled back.

They stood still for a while, protected in each other's love and care, trying to empty their minds from every disturbing thought. Then Anna cupped his face and kissed him again passionately, knowing that this was among the last kisses they'd share. Gabriel responded to her passion immediately, their entwined tongues now dancing feverishly. She tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling his head even closer, and then her hands moved on his shoulders, his forearms, his chest and his back, pushing his hard body against hers. Gabriel broke their kiss and began to nibble on her earlobe, while her hands moved low on his back only to stop at his belt. He then placed his hands on her hips and slowly pushed her towards his bed. Anna sat down and Gabriel came to stand in front of her. Quickly he sank to his knees, and his hands pulled her pants from her hips down to her ankles until they were off of her. He took a moment to look at her, love and lust evident in his gaze, and she met his gaze with eyes that bore the same emotions.

"Gabriel… make love to me… please", she begged him with a voice that betrayed her need of what she was asking for.

Gabriel nodded, and his eyes traveled from her face down her throat and on her breasts, and then down her abdomen and on her long legs. His hands followed his eyes, and he gently pushed her legs apart. In a moment his head was buried between her legs, and his lips and tongue were working marvels on her soft folds and throbbing bud, making her let out soft moans of pleasure. As her orgasm was gradually building, he felt himself trapped in his pants, burning hard with desire and passion. And when she came, he felt that he would go off the edge, thrilled at both the actual sensation and the realization that he would never feel like that again.

As Anna calmed down, she leaned forwards and placed her hands on his shoulders, motioning for him to stand. He did as he was requested, and it was now her turn to drop on her knees beside the bed, and give her lover the same pleasure she had just experienced. Deftly, she undid his belt and pushed down his pants, and then took some moments to admire his manhood and his naked form as a whole. Confirming her very first thoughts once more, she thought that his body was sculpted by angels. Only now she knew that the man standing naked in front of her was an angel indeed. She took him between her lips, and he groaned. In a while he felt that he would be soon climaxing, and he couldn't take it anymore. He needed to be inside her.

"Please… let me inside you… please…", he begged her in a hoarse voice, as if he was afraid that she might refuse him.

But she did not, of course. On the contrary, she slid her hands down his arms and grabbed his wrists, slowly pulling him on top of her as she lay back on the mattress. Anna parted her legs for him once more and he placed himself between them. Then he lowered his body on hers and kissed her as he pushed inside her wet entrance that was welcoming him. His whole body trembled, and Anna shivered as she felt it. His love, passion and need were palpable on his features, and that moved her, thrilled her and aroused her even more. She wrapped her legs around his hips and pushed him even deeper inside her, and that earned her a moan from his side. Gradually their bodies found a rhythm, a rhythm that eventually brought them to the zenith of their pleasure and left them breathless, but ecstatic, as the waves of their orgasms washed away.

They made love several times that night, using their imagination and creativity to give pleasure to each other in different ways and always to the maximum extent. And when fatigue came to claim the best of them both, it was just before dawn. Anna, still living in the wonderful world of their love and in the afterglow of their lovemaking, began to sing a song in a low, lulling voice:

Angel, put sad wings around me now  
Protect me from this world of sin  
So that we can rise again

Oh, angel, we can find our way somehow  
Escaping from the world we're in  
To a place where we began

And I know we'll find  
A better place and peace of mind  
Just tell me that it's all you want for you and me  
Angel won't you set me free

Angel, remember how we'd chase the sun  
Then reaching for the stars at night  
As our lives had just begun

When I close my eyes, I hear your velvet wings and cry  
I'm waiting here with open arms, oh, can't you see  
Angel shine your light on me

Oh, angel, we'll meet once more, I'll pray  
When all my sins are washed away  
Hold me inside your wings and stay  
Oh, angel take me far away

Put sad wings around me now  
Angel take me far away  
Put sad wings around me now  
So that we can rise again

When her song ended, they were both feeling calm, and ready. Enjoying each other's loving embrace for the last time, they waited. And soon, the first rays of the sun tore across the dark sky, creating hazes of reddish light in it. It was dawn. Their last dawn together.


	27. Chapter 27

**Author's note:** _Hello all, after decades, lol… Well, I'm sorry for not updating for so long, but I was kind of not in the mood to write the final chapter… But finally here it is! I cannot believe that the story has come to an end… So, I would like to say my heartfelt thanks to everyone who reviewed and who joined me in this journey all they way. I also thank those who read the story but did not review. Elwyndra, special thanks go to you for your continued support on this story. I doubt if I would ever bring it to an end, were it not for you and your encouragement! I wish you all the best, and see you perhaps in the other stories?_

_But read on now, enough with my sayings. I would be glad if you told me your overall opinion of the story!_

**Summary**: _This story takes place right after the movie, only Anna was not hurt by Van Helsing and furthermore is not dead lol. The basic idea is that we'll follow their journey to Rome with all of its events, and finally we'll get to learn something about who he really is. All the way, there will be an exploration of his relationship with her_.

**Warning**: _The story contains explicit sex scenes, so please don't read through if you are under legal age or otherwise feel uncomfortable with such stuff. To everyone else, enjoy yourselves! ;-p_

**Disclaimer**: _No, I don't own Van Helsing or anything related to the movie and you know that. I only own my own characters and plot._

**A Journey Home, And A Journey Of Sentiments**

Chapter 27

The first rays of the sun were lighting the dark sky, adding reddish and golden hues to it, when Van Helsing, Anna and Carl left the Vatican and headed for the cemetery. The hunter took with him the two persons that meant the most to him, as Uriel had instructed him. The three of them would witness the revelation of the truth about Gabriel, his ascension, and whatever else the Heavens held for them.

The princess and the friar were walking with their heads lowered, unable to overcome the sadness that nested in their souls, the sadness of the forthcoming and inevitable event, a sadness that was evident in their eyes. Gabriel, on the other hand, having accepted his destiny, was walking with his head up and looking straight forward. He was walking up to his destiny, to his origin, to his real residence. The divine serenity was glowing inside him and showed through his eyes once again and prevailed over his human nature. Because this human nature of his secretly urged him to drop his eyes and let himself be overwhelmed by desperation, like his companions. It urged him to let his soul be torn asunder between divine and mortal love… However, the archangel inside him yearned for the Heavens and this overshadowed every other feeling. But there was something else, too, that empowered Gabriel's will to meet his destiny as an angel and not as a human. And that was Uriel's pledge. His divine friend had promised him that he would give the answers to all his questions that had plagued him for all his years he could remember. This was something his human self needed desperately, in order to be at peace before the archangel's ascension.

The bright disk of the sun had just started to appear in the horizon when they reached the graveyard. As soon as they entered, Anna stopped in her steps and leaned back against the iron gate and closed her eyes, while a single tear ran down her cheek. Gabriel turned to her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Come, my love… You must be strong… And you are, I know you are", he told her softly and lifted her chin to make her look in his eyes.

"No, I'm not strong", she whispered and shook her head, letting another tear stain her cheek.

"You are", he told her firmly and took her in his hug. She hugged him tightly and buried her head in his chest while silent sobs shook her body. "You have always been brave. I need you to be brave once more. For me", he asked of her tenderly. Anna looked up to him and nodded. Gabriel smiled to her warmly. Then she turned to Carl and he gave her a weak grin, trying in this way to encourage her as well as himself. Even though he did not cry, his heart was aching for he was about to lose the mysterious man he had come to know as his best friend.

Quietly, the three of them resumed walking and they soon reached the child's grave, the one Gabriel had been told would be the place he should go. And truly, the moment the three friends stood before the grave a cool breeze blew past them and Uriel appeared, surrounded by his familiar ruby aura and holding his magnificent sword that blazed purple and golden fire. His ethereal form came to rest on the gravestone, and he bowed his head slightly to Gabriel in a manner of greeting him. Van Helsing responded in the same way. Anna and Carl were holding their breaths as the two archangels spoke.

"Uriel… I did as you told me to do. Here I am, with the two persons that mean the most to me, ready to hearken to the Bearer of the God's commands. But first I need the answers to my questions. "

"I know, and it is God's will that you receive them. Hush now, and listen carefully…", Uriel replied calmly and with a movement of his arm he showered the three friends in a celestial golden light, excluding them from their surroundings. Then he began speaking. "It all began about 400 years ago, when you, the Messenger of God's will, questioned one of his commands and failed to carry it out. Your sin was not as deadly as to condemn you to Hell, so, as a punishment, God decided that you should live as a mortal on the earth until you find a way to gain redemption. Thus, you were cast out of Heaven… The place God had chosen for you was Walachia… You were found half-dead and without any memories by the Prince's men. That was God's will…". As Uriel spoke, Gabriel felt memories flooding his mind, one after another. Everything was gradually starting to make sense to him, but there was still much to be answered. And Uriel continued, after his short pause. "As the years went by, you and the Prince became as close as brothers. But God's decision was not random. His wisdom had foreseen everything… One day, while Walachia's armies were far from home, battling the Turks, word came to the Prince that his wife had been murdered. Mad with grief, he abandoned the war and returned to his residence, leaving you to his stead". The archangel paused again and searched Gabriel's expression; his eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes low, as if he knew what had happened next. "Soon it was no secret all over the Balkans that the Prince was a different man, and the new method he used against his enemies had spread fear and aversion… Impalement was that new method, and it came to add on to the atrocities he committed. You saw every day that your dearest friend was far beyond the point of no return… You stood against him strongly, and he imprisoned you under the accusation of treason. You were to be executed, but you managed to escape with the help of some Knights that were loyal to you. And you made a vow… You vowed not to rest until you had vanquished Prince Vladislaus Dragulia, and thus your fates were bound. Do you remember that, Gabriel?"

"I do remember… And I killed him, didn't I?"

"You did. You set a trap… One dark night when there was no moon in the sky you met him in front of the Cathedral. He quickly drew his sword against you, but you were ready; you unsheathed your sword and drove it through his heart. Then you cut his finger and took his ring with the insignia of the Dragon… That night in the year 1462 A.D. Prince Vladislaus Dragulia died, and Count Dracula, Lord of the vampires, was born."

"That was when he made a deal with the devil… We all know what happened next", Anna intervened and commented. "But what about Gabriel? What did it mean that their fates were bound?", she inquired and Carl gave her a worried glance, as he was suspecting the meaning of those words.

"It meant exactly what Gabriel had vowed, that he would not return to the Heavens before vanquishing Dracula", Uriel answered Anna's question and then he turned back to the hunter. "That very night you killed him, you returned to Heaven. However, it was not redemption that you found, and you were not granted back your position. Your fate was to remain there in a state of numbness, bound by your oath, until it was the appropriate time for you to descend to earth once more and fulfill your oath. And so it came to be, about six years ago, that you were found by the monks of the Holy Order crawling up at the steps of St. Peter's basilica in the Vatican, half-dead and with no memories… And the rest is history."

"So there was truth to Dracula's implications… We have such history, you and I, Gabriel, he had told me… and now I see that it has been so. But what about the nightmares that had plagued me all these years? Those ancient battles… Is there any truth to these all?"

"Those nightmares of yours were a mixture of your human memories, when you fought by the side of the Prince, and your angelic memories. Heaven has fought many battles against Hell, and we fought in them too… Do you remember that battle in your vision, when you were unconscious? It truly happened, Gabriel. But not all of your nightmares were true memories. Satan always searched for ways to enter your mind and torture you with filthy lies… And in your weakest moments, in your times of human desperation, he and his minors brought you awful nightmares, and they were the ones that made you wake up in the middle of the night, trembling and gasping for breath…", Uriel said and Gabriel closed his eyes and swallowed hard at the remembrance of those terrible moments. "But all of this has come to an end now. The time has come, Gabriel. Dracula is vanquished. Your oath is fulfilled. God had given you a riddle, and you solved it. The truth about you is revealed… You are His chosen one in the fight against evil… And redemption is awaiting you."

"Isn't it strange? I had vowed not to rest until I had vanquished Dracula, and so did Valerious the Elder, Dracula's father. Only his oath bound not only him but every descendant of his, including Anna, the last of the Valerious…", said Gabriel and turned his gaze to Anna who was standing beside him. "But why should it be now that I was allowed to fulfill my oath? Why not earlier?"

"You said it yourself. Anna is meant to be the last of the Valerious", Uriel answered kindly and looked at the princess.

"What-what do you mean?", Carl stuttered, fearing that Anna would have to die. Uriel did not answer the friar's question. He only turned his gaze back to Gabriel.

"I know what kind of questions has been troubling you of late, Gabriel. Don't hesitate, I am here to answer everything", Uriel urged the hunter, who slowly lifted his eyes and decided to speak.

"I understand that it was God's will that I lived on the earth as a mortal, with everything that is characteristic of a mortal, all the desires and passions, all the weaknesses and tendencies to sin… But why was I allowed to love a woman so strongly, if I was to be called back so soon? And why should she love me back?", he asked and his voice broke, all human emotions suddenly threatening to take over him. "No, not for me. For her…", he said as he took a few steps closer to Uriel, and his voice betrayed that he was on the verge of crying. Anna lowered her head and did not speak. She knew that sooner or later everything would come down to this. "For her, Uriel. Why should she suffer for me? You know what she had suffered all her life, do you not? Then why should she mourn over a lost love? Over a man she cannot keep with her?", he inquired and tears started to stain his cheeks.

"Once more you are questioning God's will, Gabriel. Don't rush to conclusions", Uriel said strictly, ignoring the hunter's emotional outburst, and then he turned to Anna. "Princess Anna Valerious, come forward", he commanded and Anna was startled at first, but she quickly obeyed. She came and stood before the archangel and bowed her head in respect. "It is God's will that you may decide about your future. Since you had devoted your life to fighting evil and to vanquishing Dracula, God has granted you with a choice. You can either continue your mortal life at peace and with archangel Gabriel as your Guardian, or you can give up your mortal life and join Gabriel as an angel in the Heavens", said Uriel and everyone's eyes opened widely. Little "Oh-my-Gods" escaped Carl's mouth, while the couple stood speechless. It might not had seemed an easy choice for Anna, but she was sure about her decision right away.

"I will forever be grateful to God for that choice He granted me, but I've made my choice. My fate is here, on the earth. Am I really worthy of such a gift? Am I really worthy of becoming an angel? This I don't know. But I know one thing. I was born a mortal, a mortal who loved Gabriel Van Helsing more that anything! And I wish to keep that love in my heart, safe and untouched, and all the memories of what we lived together will forever live inside me", she whispered feverishly and her eyes shone. Gabriel was not able to react.

"Have you thought well about your decision, princess Valerious? Do you realize what kind of a gift you are refusing?", Uriel inquired.

"I do. But I do not wish my fate to differ from my family's. We served God and fought against evil… We loved and hated, we laughed and we cried, we lived and we died… I understand that as an angel I would feel the love of God and that I would be showered in His grace… But my human heart is weak… Am I selfish for wishing to love Gabriel forever with a human kind of love? With the kind of love that lovers know in their secret hours of bliss? It's this love I wish to keep inside me forever", Anna said and lowered her eyes. The archangel in front of here did not speak this time. If that was her choice, it was to be respected. Slowly, Gabriel came next to her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her to him.

"Anna… you don't know what you refuse…", he whispered to her.

"But I know what I will not lose!", she said and threw herself in his embrace. They hugged each other tightly for some moments, until it was time for the end. Gabriel gave her a last kiss on her forehead and slowly let go of her. Carl moved beside Anna and spoke in a shaky voice.

"Goodbye, Van Helsing…"

"Farewell, Carl, my best friend…", he told the friar who could not hold his tears anymore. Then Gabriel turned his gaze, which had started to turn silver, to Anna.

"I will forever be by your side…Your Guardian angel…"

"And I will forever love you, Gabriel!", she said and let the tears flow freely down her cheeks.

Then pure white light surrounded Gabriel, and together with Uriel's ruby one they shone so brightly that the two mortals had to turn their faces elsewhere and shut their eyes tightly not to be blinded. The moment they reopened their eyes the two archangels had disappeared. There was no sign of them, and the child's grave before them was cold and shining gray, faintly lit by the rays of the winter sun. Carl and Anna stood there for some time, not speaking a word, contemplating what had taken place in front of their eyes a few minutes ago. Then they slowly took their way back to the Vatican.

So that was the end of the journey for her. For her? No, not for her. It was the end of her journey with the human Gabriel. But now a new journey was beginning. A journey where she would always have her beloved archangel as her guardian dear. It was not sorrow that filled Anna's heart that day of their separation; it was sweet bitterness, if something like that can be said, and it was also confidence and hope for a brighter future for humanity, free from evil, a future blessed by the Left Hand of God.

But what was the future for this story's heroes? As for Francesca, she stayed and worked as a librarian in the Order's library. She was always very close to Carl, secretly in love with him, and he knew that. Due to the kind of love they shared, he refused to be promoted to a monk and chose to remain a friar. And Dr. Williams? He visited at last his daughter in Italy and then he returned to London where he spent the last years of his life helping the poor patients and searching for new medicine. And what about Anna? She had always known that she was not an ordinary woman. Could she ever marry, have children and live happily ever after? No, that was not the kind of life the gypsy princess would have ever wanted for herself. The flame of her love for Gabriel was always burning brightly in her heart and she would want no other man. She chose to do what she knew best; to fight against evil. So, she took Van Helsing's place in the Holy Order, and she was the first female monster hunter. And through all her adventures, she could always feel Gabriel by her side, guiding her and protecting her. And she never felt alone. Carl was always there for her, as he had been for Van Helsing, and they would often talk about the adventures of the past and remember what they had lived with Gabriel. And in her hours of darkness when she was alone with herself, she would never despair. She would always sing the song that was passed on to her by Isetnofret, and she would find comfort in it, as the loving scenes of her past would come alive before her eyes and enchant her again and again and again, until her last breath escaped her lips and her spirit went to join her family in the Heavens. And on her gravestone these lyrics of her song were carved, as she had wished, to forever testify her undying love that had conquered even death:

Ever felt away without me  
My love, it lies so deep  
Ever dream of me

I'd take you away  
Castaway on a lonely day  
Bosom for a teary cheek  
My song can but borrow your grace

And truly, Gabriel's archangelic grace shone on Anna all through her life, proof of his undying love that had triumphed in eternity.


End file.
